Macao joins HK to probe Google's intrusion upon personal data

MACAO, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) said Tuesday it has sent a letter to Google, inquiring about the personal data "mistakenly" collected by the search giant when it carried out its Street View project photographing the city.

Google has revealed on its official blog that the company has been "mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks," as the company's Street View data-collecting cars swept through various cities in the world. Macao and Hong Kong, China's two SARs, are among the cities included in the street view project.

Regarding Google's intrusion upon personal data, Macao SAR government's Office for Personal Data Protection said on Tuesday that it was highly concerned about Google's practice, and has sent a letter to Google HK demanding the company to explain the matter. For the time being, Google have not yet established its office in Macao.

Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007, originally only in several cities in the United States, and has since gradually expanded to include more cities and rural areas worldwide.

Hong Kong's privacy commissioner for personal data criticized Google's practice and demanded a meeting with the company's representative on Tuesday. The company agreed to delete the personal data collected when carrying out the Street View project in Hong Kong, said Roderick B. Woo, the city's privacy commissioner for personal data, after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Macao's Office for Personal Data Protection said that it has already contacted its counterpart in Hong Kong and expressed its support to Hong Kong's move in handling the Google event.

In Macao, the violation of personal data protection laws constitutes administrative illegality or even a crime.

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