Google has been ordered by a court in Seoul to disclose a list of any personal information it has shared with third parties, including United States intelligence.
A lawsuit was filed by six South Korean activists against Google in July 201, demanding to know whether the tech company shared their personal information with a third party.
According to the privacy activists they first went to Google for information records but Google failed to respond to the requests back in February 2014.
The individuals suspected Google of passing private information of users, both inside and outside of the U.S., to an American government intelligence program known as PRISM, according to a statement from the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ).
U.S. intelligence contractor PRISM has been in global headlines since Edward Snowden divulged its existence last year. The organization trawls the Internet for email and chat records of anyone who has contacts in the United States
“Even if Google has servers in the U.S. or other countries, it must abide by South Korean law when dealing with users in South Korea,” the CCEJ said in a statement.
“Google should, therefore, respond to South Koreans’ request for information about its history of leaking sensitive data.”
South Korean law requires online service providers to respond to a customer’s request for a disclosure regarding any personal data that was handed off to a third party.
While Google has been ordered by the court to disclose the information to the plaintiffs, the court dismissed their 3 million won (US$2,600) claim for compensation.
