Google Inc. said an internal investigation has discovered that the roving vans the company uses to create its online mapping services were mistakenly collecting data about websites people were visiting over wireless networks.
The Internet giant said it would stop collecting Wi-Fi data from its StreetView vans, which workers drive to capture street images and to locate Wi-Fi networks. The company said it would dispose of the data it had accidentally collected.
Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research for Google, wrote in a blog post that the company uncovered the mistake while responding to a German data-protection agency’s request for it to audit the Wi-Fi data, amid mounting concerns that Google’s practices violated users’ privacy.
ha! how does one “accidentally” collect data about people’s internet usage while driving around to take pictures?
Google needs to remember their motto: “Don’t be evil”
It’s surprisingly easy.
Not that I have the inclination but it would be quite easy to snoop around the home networks of half a dozen of my neighbors right now. Of course google was doing more than just taking pictures as the articles say they were mapping WiFi hotspots and collecting the AP IDs.
People need to be much more paranoid.