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Google Says It Mistakenly Collected Wi-Fi Data While Mapping

Posted by timothy on from the just-accidentally-of-course dept.

Even if Google says there's nothing to worry about, newviewmedia.com writes, the company "said it would stop collecting Wi-Fi network data from its StreetView cars, after an internal investigation it conducted found it was accidentally collecting data about websites people were visiting over the hotspots. From the WSJ article: 'It's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open [i.e. non-password-protected] Wi-Fi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products.'"

1 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Hey, by tomhudson · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Several points:

    1. Maybe I know my neighbors, so I trust them/know they're not that talented.

    2. If you read the article, they had included software that collected traffic, like emails, etc.

    3. This is the same company that produced this choice quote: "Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently said Internet users shouldn't worry about privacy unless they have something to hide."

    4. This is the same google that confiscates all cameras before outsiders are allowed on-campus. THEY certainly have something to hide ... so why isn't it okay for the proles to enjoy the same privacy?