I don't know if you have ever seen any of the Google "Street View" cars running around. But they are the little "mice" that collect the TONS of image data that let you view streets with Google Street View.
Well, Google has gotten in "trouble" in the past for images that these cars have captured. In Japan they were mounted on the cars at a height that let them see over a lot of fences. They have since lowered the cameras and are re-shooting all the data from the new camera height (2.05 meters above ground level).
In April Google admitted that they collected SSID's and MAC address from open WiFi access points that the cars drove by. And now they have admitted that they collected data that was broadcast from these open nodes as well.
They have stated that this data was collected accidentally and intend to delete the data as soon as the various governments that are "investigating" them will let them.
Lets get one thing straight right off. Receiving and recording data that is broadcast in the clear is in no way illegal.
Since they have been very up front about everything I don't feel that this was some nefarious plot. And if you are so concerned about your privacy you should really encrypt your WiFi access point.
Privacy is such a hot button right now that bureaucrats are pouncing on this to try to look like the "good guys".
Fine, investigate them, make sure no laws were broken. But if there weren't any laws broken, PLEASE don't make new laws to protect the "privacy" of people that are openly sharing data and then get upset that someone they didn't intend to see that data sees it.
References:
Google Street View Cars Collected Wi-Fi User Data for Three Years
Connecticut to Lead Multistate Probe of Google
Google reshoots Japan views after privacy complaints
Google Street View privacy concerns
Street View Fun, Interesting viewing always...
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