Google probed for violating privacy

Press TV
July 23, 2010

Thirty-seven states have joined the investigation of Google Inc. over allegations that the Internet giant unlawfully collected private data.

“Attorneys general from 37 states and the District of Columbia have officially joined the probe, including those from Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Massachusetts,” Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying earlier.

“Eight states would not be identified because their laws bar them from disclosing investigations,” Blumenthal added.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

The Connecticut Attorney initiated the multistate probe to find out whether Google workers had violated people’s privacy while photographing streets for the Google Maps.

Blumenthal earlier sent a letter to Google authorities asking for specific details about their data collection.

Nevertheless, he has found the answers unsatisfying, as he said in a statement, “Google’s responses continue to generate more questions than they answer.”

Google admitted that it mistakenly picked up 600 gigabytes of data from unsecured networks over the last three years, as vehicles used for its Street View feature were equipped to detect Wi-Fi access points.

“As we’ve said before, it was a mistake for us to include code in our software that collected payload data, but we believe we did nothing illegal,” a spokesperson for Google said in a statement.

“We’re continuing to work with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns,” he added.

The internet company’s Street View function was launched in 2007. It provides users with a 360-degree view of streets and roadways that are photographed by vehicles.

This article was posted: Friday, July 23, 2010 at 3:36 pm

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