Alleged Police Raid on Google Korea
August 12, 2010
The BBC’s “Google Offices Raided by Korean Police” won’t make much difference to Verizon and probably not much difference to the search engine optimization gangs. However, if the story is true, a Google legal eagle will have some work in lovely South Korea.
The reason for the alleged raid is Google’s alleged WiFi sniffing for the not-do-alleged StreetView service. The math club crowd probably thinks that Korean authorities were acting irrationally. That’s okay. Points of view and differences of opinion cause people to see actions in different ways.
Here’s a snippet from the BBC story that I noted:
A police statement said they suspected Google has been collecting and storing data on “unspecified internet users from wi-fi networks”…. “[We] have been investigating Google Korea on suspicion of unauthorized collection and storage of data on unspecified Internet users from Wi-Fi networks,” the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said in a statement. Korean media reported that 19 KNPA agents raided the office, seizing hard drives and related documents. Authorities said they plan to summon Google officials for investigation once analysis on the confiscated items is complete.
The way the Korean authorities acted reminded me of Norwegian police tactics in October 2008 when the Fast Search & Transfer offices experienced what I recall was an “action”, maybe a “raid.” (Another similarity Google shares with Microsoft wonder I?)
For Google to keep those revenues flowing, one wonders if lighting up the sensors of various law enforcement and governmental professionals is a revenue plus or minus. For sure, there may be some added friction for the Googlers in countries where authorities conduct raids. Sending 19 officers is either a typographical error or an indication that the Korean authorities were not in the mood for a Google foosball game, more like rugby.
Stephen E Arnold, August 12, 2010
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