Google to undergo independent privacy audit

Google Inc. is implementing remedial measures to reduce the risk of future privacy violations, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said Monday. Still, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said her office will continue to monitor the situation. The privacy commissioner said she has requested that, for the first time, Google undergo an independent, third-party audit of its privacy programs within a year and share the results with her office. She said the audit will help measure the effectiveness of Google’s proposed measures as part of its its privacy compliance regime. A release said that organizations can be asked to file independent, third-party reports “attesting to the fact that they have lived up to their commitments and have complied with the Commissioner’s recommendations.” Stoddart said in a statement that Google is “a world leader in innovation” and “has an added responsibility to ensure that privacy protection gets the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, past history suggests that has not been the case until now.” She initiated an investigation last year after Google acknowledged that, in error, it collected personal information from unsecured wireless networks for its Google Street View service. Stoddart's office said that Google has agreed to increase privacy and security training for all employees; implement a system for “tracking all projects that collect, use or store personal information and for holding the engineers and managers responsible for those projects accountable for privacy”; require engineers ti assess the privacy impact of their products and services from inception to launch; and assign an internal audit team to conduct periodic privacy audits. Stoddart said her office will follow up with Google next year to measure the implementation of the recommendations.

Google to undergo independent privacy audit

Brief | June 6, 2011

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