Police Raid Google for Privacy Violations—In Korea
Privacy is no trifling matter in Korea. Seoul police raided Google's offices looking for evidence the company illegally tracked users to target ads at them. Apple and Facebook, call your lawyers.
Korean authorities are specifically concerned about AdMob, the Google division that targets ads to users of Android phones and other mobile devices. "We suspect AdMob collected personal location information without consent or approval from the Korean Communication Commission," a police investigator told the New York Times. In America, such concern typically results in nothing more than a sternly worded letter. Then again, Apple and Google are getting called before Congress next week to explain their mobile phone tracking, and Facebook just got sued over its handling of data on minors. Perhaps someday soon U.S. authorities will care enough about privacy rules to actually enforce them. Like in Korea!
