Probe on Rio Political Murder Ignites Privacy Battle With Google
Probe on Rio Political Murder Ignites Privacy Battle With Google
(Bloomberg) -- Nearly two years after the drive-by shooting of a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman sparked international outcry, Alphabet Inc.’s Google is in a conundrum technology giants are familiar with around the world: protecting client data even when under pressure from law enforcement.
Google is fighting a request by state prosecutors to gain mobile phone data that could uncover additional conspirators in the 2018 murder of Marielle Franco, a 38-year-old black, left-wing politician from one of Rio’s poorest and most violent communities, newspaper O Globo reported on Thursday.
The killing drew condemnation abroad and demands for accountability in Brazil. While two former police officers were arrested last March, questions remain about who ordered the crime, and why. The case has also put President Jair Bolsonaro on the defensive. His son allegedly dated the daughter of one of the suspected killers, and Bolsonaro himself appeared in a photo with the other. He and his family have denied any involvement.
Google said it doesn’t comment on specific cases. Rio de Janeiro’s public prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
A vehicle similar to the one used for the 2018 assassination was captured by highway cameras on Dec. 2, according to O Globo, prompting a request for Google’s mobile data in the area at the time. Google said it vigorously protects privacy of its users while also looking to help authorities with investigations.
Tech companies and governments have clashed for years over balancing law enforcement access and user privacy, most famously when the U.S. sought access to an iPhone from a terrorist who carried out a deadly shooting spree in San Bernardino, California, in 2015. Apple Inc. refused to help, and the FBI eventually was able to hack into the handset.
During the first half of 2019, Google had 2,966 user data disclosure requests in Brazil, and in 61% of the cases it provided some information, according to its transparency report. If Google regularly gets requests from authorities where it operates, and if it feels they are overly broad, it will seek to narrow them, the firm said in the report.
--With assistance from Fabiola Moura.
To contact the reporter on this story: Peter Millard in Rio de Janeiro at pmillard1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Julia Leite, Jillian Ward
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