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FCC Probes Google Over Street View Program's Collection of Personal Data
The Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into whether Google violated communications laws when it collected data from WiFi networks in U.S. homes through its Street View mapping program.
Google admitted that the cars used to take pictures of homes as part of its Street View mapping program were installed with software that collected data on the location of residential WiFi networks. Google collected such network location data in order to use it for future mobile phone applications built around users’ geographic location. The software, however, also inadvertently collected personal information including email addresses, passwords, and histories of the web pages visited.
While the FCC did not disclose the details of its investigations, it is likely that the investigation will review the harm that may be caused to consumers by the collection of data from WiFi “hot spots” and other such communications networks, as well as whether the mining of WiFi data violates laws which protect consumer privacy.
This investigation comes after the Federal Trade Commission recently closed a separate investigation into Google’s WiFi data breach. In addition, privacy regulators in Canada, U.K., France, Germany and Spain have also initiated investigations to determine whether Google violated local privacy laws.
For additional information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/FCC-Investigates-Google