Google Hands Over
Information On Suspected
Pedophiles to Brazil's
Congress
Internet giant Google on
Wednesday handed over
data stored by 3,261
suspected pedophile
users on its Orkut
social networking site
to Brazil's
congressional committee,
local media reported.
The handover of the
data, which mainly
comprise of pictures and
photo albums stored on
Orkut, one of the most
popular sites in Brazil,
was part of an
initiative by the
Brazilian authorities to
battle pedophilia crimes
on the web.
Brazil's Federal Police
will track the suspected
profile holders and
launch an official
investigation if
necessary.
Senator Magno Malta,
president of the
congressional committee,
said that the Congress
would ask for the
disclosure of the
telephone records of the
suspect Orkut profile
holders on Thursday,
according to local media
reports.
National Cyber Crime
Center said last month
that 90 percent of the
56,000 pedophilia
allegations received in
the past two years were
related to Orkut.
According to Senator
Demostenes Torres,
another member of the
committee, it was the
first time that Google
released secret
information from its
database to authorities.
"Over the past two
years, there have been
50,000 pedophilia
reports. Google, arguing
that it was a question
of privacy, especially
because the data was
hosted in California,
refused to release it,"
said Torres.
Google's Director of
Communication Carlos
Felix Ximenes admitted
that it was the first
"big privacy disclosure"
allowed by Google, as
the company had never
provided imagery to
investigators before.
Ximenes told the press
that the company will
start to report to
Brazil's public
prosecution office all
profiles that arouse
suspicion of cyber
crimes, including
racism, homophobia and
religious intolerance.
Google has been
cooperative with crime
investigators in Brazil,
fulfilling approximately
360 demands from local
courts last year, he
added.
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