A Google employee reportedly accessed private videos on Nintendo’s YouTube account and then leaked that information ahead of planned announcements. That’s according to a new report from 404 Media based on a copy of an internal Google database that tracked six years of self-reported privacy and security issues.
While we don’t have many details on the incident, the report states that Google’s internal review of the incident concluded that it was “non-intentional”–it’s not clear what that actually means in this case. The report mentions dozens of other instances of Google violating its own privacy policies (usually by accident), including one where Google Street View was transcribing a large number of license plate numbers and another where a Google speech service mistakenly logged speech data (including that of “1,000 children”) for about an hour. The tech giant told 404 in a statement that all data related to these incidents has been purged.
Though this incident is relatively minor in the grand scheme of gaming leaks, it’s a good example of how tech companies have practical access to a staggering amount of information that could be leaked–accidentally or not. The copy of the database was sent to 404 Media by an “anonymous tipster,” and Google confirmed “aspects of its contents,” per the report.
Nintendo is an extremely litigious company, though it’s unclear what actions it has taken, if any, in this instance. In the past, Nintendo went after Bowser himself for involvement in a hacking group.
