Google offices raided over illegal location tracking

AdMob mobile unit blamed

Google offices raided over illegal location tracking . Online, Phones, Google, Privacy, Android, iOS 4 0

3 May 2011 10:06 GMT / By Ben Crompton

Google looks to be in trouble again over an alleged privacy breach relating to location tracking, as Google's South Korean offices were raided by police over unauthorised personal data collection.

Apparently the problem centres around Google's AdMob mobile advertising sector which is believed to have collected the location data illegally.

The raid, which occurred on Tuesday 3 May, comes after a string of other online privacy concerns related to the Apple iOS 4 and Google Android operating systems which were apparently logging user data without consent.

Google does not have the best track record when it comes to privacy as it was previously found to have collected private data with its Street View cars.

The convenience that such location-based services offer users of mobile smartphone and tablet devices is not in doubt, but it does appear that some users may not be aware of the extent to which personal information is being used and shared.

If this is the case, clearly more needs to be done by companies handling sensitive data to make clear how it is used; it is perhaps easy for advancements in technology - especially that which is made accessible on a mass scale - to exceed society's ability to use it responsibly.

Do privacy breaches such as these make you think twice about using location functionality tech in smartphones and tablets? Let us know your thoughts below.

Via: appleinsider.com

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Online, Phones, Google, Privacy, Android, iOS 4

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