Global search giant Google has taken action at its Kenya operation, after its staff were accused of pilfering Mocality's database.
Earlier this month, Mocality - Kenya's biggest business directory, with more than 170 000 verified listings - accused the US company of hacking into its database and trying to steal its customers.
Mocality CEO Stefan Magdalinski accused Google's subsidiary, rival business Getting Kenyan Business Online, of engaging in a “human-powered, systematic, months-long, fraudulent attempt to undermine our business”. The posting sparked a worldwide Internet storm.
Google's VP for products and engineering, Europe and emerging markets, Nelson Mattos, says in a statement the company has taken action “with the people involved and made changes in our operations to ensure this doesn't occur again”.
Google did not immediately indicate whether the guilty parties had been fired.
Shortly after the news broke, Mattos said Google was “mortified to learn that a team of people working on a Google project improperly used Mocality's data and misrepresented our relationship with Mocality to encourage customers to create new Web sites”.
Mattos said the company had apologised and would conduct a full investigation. He says the investigation has been wrapped up and Google has taken the appropriate action. “We're very sorry this happened.”
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