KCC is studying Google’s privacy policy changes

Korea’s communications regulator said Saturday it is checking to see if Google’s new privacy policy combining all user information into a single package violates local laws.

A source at the Korea Communications Commission said an investigation is underway to see if the measures being planned by the global search engine conflict with domestic private information protection and open use of Internet rules. Google’s changes are expected to go into effect March 1.

The comments come after the KCC received communication from Google Korea that the parent company’s intention to combine nearly all its information on users, so it can offer individually tailored services, is a worldwide endeavor. The company added that Korea cannot be left out of the global change and users who do not agree with the policy can opt out of using Google services, which include e-mail and Internet searches.

In the past, Google, which controls more than 80 percent of the world’s search engine market, kept information on users of different services separately.

The KCC hinted that if Google is found to have violated local laws, it could take appropriate action. Several European regulators have started examining Google’s moves. Yonhap