The Information Commissioner's office has just issued a statement confirming they will not be taking (what they term as) "knee jerk" action against Google for their harvesting of the personal data of thousands of people.According to the Press Association, the ICO is "waiting for the result of overseas inquiries before deciding whether to consider using its enforcement powers" and could yet issue a "stop notice" forbidding Google from collecting such data in the future.
This lack of action from the ICO follows the regrettable decision of the Metropolitan Police last week not to pursue a criminal case against Google.
Their failure to take decisive is nothing short of a disgrace. If they're going to wait until results from abroad, then what is the point of having an ICO of our own? The Commissioner has been an apologist for the worst offender in his sphere of responsibility, not a policeman of it.
What kind of a message does it send out about the effectiveness of the ICO and their commitment to personal privacy when a company like Google is able to harvest the personal information of thousands of people and get off scot-free?
By Daniel Hamilton
Source: BBW
