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Australia Drops Second Google Investigation
joshgnosis writes "The Australian Privacy Commissioner has decided against investigating Google a second time over the collection of Wi-Fi payload data in Google's Street View cars. Despite a damning FCC report released last month claiming that senior manager within Google were aware that a 'rogue' engineer was working on the project on the side, he said a second investigation wouldn't yield any new results. 'I have decided not to open another investigation into Google Street View,' he said in a statement. 'In reaching this decision, I have considered the FCC's report and don't consider that a new investigation would reveal any information that would change our original finding.'"
Or maybe:
'In reaching this decision, I have considered the lack of additional campaign contributions by Microsoft, and don't consider that a new investigation would reveal any information that would change our original finding.'"
Seriously, though, is there anyone here who really thinks this investigation deserves to go around a second time, based on the technical merits? We're talking about going around logging stuff that is being broadcast in the clear, unencrypted, and no more than a few seconds at any location. I know it's important to anti-Googlers because it's pretty much the closest the company has come so far to being evil, but it's kind of a lame complaint when you compare it to what most other tech companies are doing these days (Microsoft and Apple funding patent trolls, Facebook trying to ratchet down privacy protections, most tech companies forcing people to give up legal rights via EULA, etc). Is this seriously the worst thing that can be said about Google? If it is, they've got to be the most ethically-run company on the planet.
Why bother with an invasion of privacy case when they can go for the bigger fish? They are about to go after Google for tax evasion - a few politicians were (rightly) outraged when it became public knowledge that Google only paid $74k in tax on the multiple billions which Australian people and companies paid to them for services provided in Australia.
... wait, what?
Because GP (and you) have missed the part where they've already went after Google's wifi collection and don't think they'll get anything new from that case. Now Google's tax practices, we'll have to see...
"The only reliable way to generate tax revenue on services provided by a foreign company"
We're talking about revenue to and taxes paid entirely by Google Australia.
I'm sick of all the bloody money the Government blows on royal commissions and investigation of this sort.
They generate hugely expensive, massive documents that no one reads or really gives a damn about in the end, and are basically a way for politicians to say "hey we are doing something about it" without actually doing anything about it.
At the end of the day, who really gives a shit if your wifi connection has been tagged and a bit of data sniffed? if you care that much about it, secure it properly in the first place, reduce your signal strength so you don't overspill your boundary too much, or just run wired instead.
I am glad that this commissioner has seen that another investigation is the complete waste of time it really is - and has instead focused on getting the right laws in place (which they now are). Google admitted wrong, apologised, smacked down the engineer responsible, and paid the fine. End of story.
Can we move on now?