Rupert Murdoch blasts Google on Twitter, gets blasted back

News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch has hit out at Google over its Street View data collection controversy.

But the thing is, Murdoch did so on Twitter. And a few people weren't shy of telling him maybe he wasn't best placed to talk about privacy. Click through for the best of the replies.

"Privacy!" Murdoch tweeted. "Google just hacked millions of home computers in UK, presumably bank accounts, fotos [sic] etc while screening streets for Google maps."

Some of Murdoch's followers are up on current events, however, and weren't shy of reminding him of News Corp's misdeeds. @sohailstyle tweeted: "You're preaching about hacking and privacy? I think that's the tweet-joke of the f***ing year!" While @MarkHenty tweeted: "Aren't you in jail yet?"

And those are the ones we can publish.

An hour later, Murdoch tried to clarify. "Privacy tweets not excuses, just raising future of privacy," he tweeted. "Laws seem impossible, look at China and Bo. Why protect crooks and scumbags?"

Google did indeed earn a slap on the wrist for collecting data from home Wi-Fi networks while out and about in its Street View cars. It initially claimed it was a mistake, then it emerged staff knew what it was doing all along, and that it was collecting the data as it "might prove useful for other Google services".

In November 2010, UK data watchdog the ICO ruled Google had breached the Data Protection Act. Then just last week the ICO said it would look into the claims that Google staff knew all about the operations, and may prosecute the company in Britain.

Murdoch only took to Twitter recently, but he's an enthusiastic tweeter. He told the Leveson inquiry into media standards and ethics: "Don't take my tweets too seriously." In January, he called Google a 'piracy leader'.

What do you think of Murdoch's criticism of Google? And should Google be punished by the ICO for its data breach? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.