KCC and Privacy
Google’s Street View is again the target of Korean authorities, who believe that it may infringe on the Privacy Act.
The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is considering taking administrative action against Google, as it may have infringed on the Privacy Act regarding personal information while it was developing its Street View service.
According to a source, the KCC has been investigating Google’s possibly illegal gathering of personal data. It said that it would make the issue one of the topics to be discussed in a hearing, and would weigh administrative actions.
The source said that between 2009 and 2010, when Google was designing its Street View service, the email addresses, IDs, and passwords of those who were using insecure WiFi in the vicinity of a Google Street View car were recorded without consent.
Google Street View is a service that shows pictures of major roads throughout the world on Google Maps. Google has been gathering photos and location information around the world since 2009 with mobile vehicles equipped with a special camera.
The Privacy Act requires that service providers request permission before taking personal information.
In 2012, the KCC investigated Google regarding its practice of gathering personal information, but ended up merely recommending an action.