Google Offices in South Korea Raided Because of "Location Tracking"

[dgstorm]

Wow! Just when you think you can't be surprised...

Google's offices in Seoul, South Korea were raided today. The South Korean police are investigating Google's subsidiary, AdMob, because according to a South Korean police officer, "We suspect AdMob collected personal location information without consent or approval from the Korean Communication Commission." Google has said they will cooperate fully with the investigation.

The source of this article also had this to say,

South Korean officials opened investigations of Google starting with the company's use of its "Street View" cars to collect private data. Last month, South Korean internet portals complained to anti-trust regulators that Google's position in the mobile search engine market was anti-competitive.

Apparently, AdMob's data location tracking is a technology that simply has a double-edged sword. The info gathered by AdMob is simply designed to assist Google in personalizing ads to smartphones based on location and personal preferences. Kim Kwang-jo, a computer science professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology had this to say, "Every technology has a flip side. Location-based services benefit customers by helping them find nearby restaurants, gas stations and other places with their smartphones. But it could potentially violate consumer privacy. There are loopholes in location-based services, and companies should get consent from customers to collect location data."

And the drama continues...

Source: AndroidTablets.net via PhoneArena and Reuters

 

[kptphalkon]

If someone would illustrate the downsides to this, I am all ears. I personally keep location tracking off unless needed by navigation, and have adfree android updated every other week. This doesnt bother me, and people have the freedom to opt out.

Again, what are the unmentioned negatives to this service? Nobody seems to be able to talk about that, just the 'tracking is a bad bad no-no' remarks.

 

[czerdrill]

If someone would illustrate the downsides to this, I am all ears. I personally keep location tracking off unless needed by navigation, and have adfree android updated every other week. This doesnt bother me, and people have the freedom to opt out.

Again, what are the unmentioned negatives to this service? Nobody seems to be able to talk about that, just the 'tracking is a bad bad no-no' remarks.

I don't see any downside either. 1) Google allows you to opt-out, and 2) it's anonymous data, you cannot be identified by it anyway. If it fell into malicious hands, they would not be able to determine any information whatsoever specifically about the user, nor does Google have any information about the user. It is location data only.

I think it's much ado about nothing, and also a way for people to sue Google for $50M because they feel their privacy has been violated :icon_rolleyes:

 

[Droid101]

I think people are just making this whole location tracking more than it has to be. Honestly who cares if google knows a phone is in X location? Google never knows who it is nor is google out spying on people.

 

[patmw123]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

 

[czerdrill]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

What about michigan where the two morons sued them for fifty mil?

 

[Droid101]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

What about michigan where the two morons sued them for fifty mil?

I think we will just let google walk in with their Dozen or so lawyers and see if the morons one lawyer can handle it

 

[patmw123]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

What about michigan where the two morons sued them for fifty mil?

America is always going to be America. Nothing Google could do could change that . Reminds me of the hot mcdonalds coffee lawsuit.

 

[OneTenderRebel]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

What about michigan where the two morons sued them for fifty mil?

America is always going to be America. Nothing Google could do could change that . Reminds me of the hot mcdonalds coffee lawsuit.

hey in my defense, that coffee was really hot. I had to sue, I mean who gives a customer hot coffee???

 

[patmw123]

The cut off human finger in Wendy's chili was also a classic lawsuit.

 

[czerdrill]

Google should just cut off services to south korea after this shenanigans.

What about michigan where the two morons sued them for fifty mil?

I think we will just let google walk in with their Dozen or so lawyers and see if the morons one lawyer can handle it

Lol true...you gotta imagine is laughing st those two goofballs

 

[Narsil]

I ask these questions out of honest ignorance.

Google does know who is logged into which device. If they also log where each device is (telling us it is anonymous) do we know that it is? Has anyone verified that the logged location data is actually anonymous?

Many Apple fanbois took Steve Jobs at his word a little while back when he categorically stated that Apple absolutely "did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica..." umm I mean absolutely did not log where people's devices had been. It was not until it was unequivocally demonstrated that they were indeed tracking locations and storing the data that Jobs stated they were going to change some things and release an update.

Has anyone verified that the data Google is collecting is, indeed, anonymous and they're not pulling a Jobs also?