Google Polluted Internet With Classified Material: Survey of India

Google Polluted Internet With Classified Material: Survey of India

google mapsNEW DELHI: After registering a Preliminary Enquiry against Google for alleged mapping of classified areas, the CBI has sought help of the Survey of India (SoI) which has alleged that the Internet giant continued to “pollute” the Web with classified material despite being warned against it.

As the probe continues, Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao alleged that the Internet giant did not refrain from mentioning classified sites even after having been asked not to do so.

“During their (Google’s) Mapathon 2013 exercise, they collected lot of classified data and we had approached them to refrain from doing so when we came to know about it,” Dr, Rao told PTI from Dehradun.

He said, instead of desisting, Google “polluted the Internet” with the coordinates of classified locations on the map. “They (Google) have expressed their desire to meet me at some hotel but I have been firm of a meeting in office,” he said.

The Survey of India, India’s national survey and mapping organisation under the Department of Science and Technology, is the complainant in the case. After initial probe by the Delhi Police, the case was handed over to the CBI as the investigation involved a company which is based in the US.

Google had not taken permission from SoI before organising a mapping competition in February-March 2013 in which they asked citizens to map their neighbourhoods, especially details related to hospitals and restaurants.

Alarmed by Mapathon, SoI, asked the Internet giant to share its details and found that there were several coordinates with information on sensitive defence installations which are out of the public domain.

The CBI has examined Google India’s Legal Advisor Geetanjali Duggal and others so far.

Source: PTI

Categories: GIS

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