Google Street View logs WiFi networks, Mac addresses

Posted by Anthony Lincoln on April 23rd 2010 to Administrative

Google continues to make new friends, especially in Europe: the firm is catching heat while setting up its StreetView service in Germany.  Not for the conspicuous privacy concerns, but a slightly more surreptitious one: its StreetView vans, those modern-day equivalents of the ice-cream truck, apparently have been logging wireless networks and the MAC addresses of devices attached to them.  It’s basically WAR driving with corporate imprimatur.

Equally surprising is Google’s increasing tone-deafness about these sorts of privacy violations, especially in countries outside of the U.S.  It certainly adds grist for the mill in privacy cases like the recent one in Italy that resulted in criminal convictions for top Google executives.

The Germans’ response?  I think the phrase “data octopus” speaks for itself.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/22/google_streetview_logs_wlans/

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