Leaked Google database exposes privacy and security breaches
What's the story
A leaked internal database from Google has unveiled the tech giant's handling of privacy and security breaches, accidents, as well as other incidents. The database, obtained by 404 Media, documents thousands of internally flagged security and privacy issues, spanning from 2013 to 2018. Google confirmed the authenticity of the data, but clarified that some reports pertained to third-party services or were not a cause for concern.
Steps
Google's process for flagging potential issues explained
Google has outlined its process for flagging potential product issues. "At Google, employees can quickly flag potential product issues for review by the relevant teams," a company spokesperson stated. The flagged reports obtained by 404 Media are over six years old and were all reviewed as well as resolved at that time, according to the company. Despite this, Joseph Cox of 404 Media pointed out that the database reveals how Google manages sensitive personal data.
Incident reports
Reports highlight various privacy and security incidents
The leaked reports detail various incidents, including a possible security issue, where a government client's sensitive data was accidentally transitioned to consumer-level goods. In 2016, an error in Google Street View resulted in license plate numbers not being omitted as intended. "As a result, our database of objects detected from Street View now inadvertently contains a database of geolocated license plate numbers and license plate number fragments," the report stated. The data was later purged.
Worrying
Further leaks uncovered in Google database
Another incident involved a Google's speech service bug, that captured and logged 1,000 hours of children's speech data for 60 minutes, accidentally. The report confirmed that all the data was subsequently deleted. The database also contained cases ranging from a person manipulating customer accounts on Google's ad platform to YouTube recommending videos depending on deleted watch histories. One report even highlighted an incident where a Google employee accessed Nintendo's private YouTube clips, and leaked them ahead of the company's announcements.