German Federal Court Says Google Auto-Complete Could Violate Privacy

Google and Germany do not seem to get along too well, especially when you consider the fact that the Internet search giant was recently fined by German authorities for Wi-Fi data snooping using their Street View vehicles. This time around, the Federal Court of Justice in Germany seem inclined to have Google change their auto-complete capability in their search engine, citing concerns on how the auto-complete feature could act in violation of people’s privacy. Sounds a bit off kilter, doesn’t it, as this particular decision would mean an overturn of the Cologne Higher Regional Court’s ruling.

Just what proved to be the tipping point in this case? An entrepreneur so happened to share a name with someone else involved in Scientology, which hence led to results including ‘Scientology’ after his name, in addition to the word ‘swindle’. Obviously, this is far from the ideal situation from anyone who has a reputation to protect, no? What do you think of the auto-complete feature, and would disabling it change the way you search for things in Germany? I personally find it interesting to see what certain search phrases throw up, and these tend to be funnier more often than not.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: germany, Google, Legal