Our emoles are everywhere
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Google's lack of data protection gets smacked down
INTERNET SURVEILLANCE TOOL Google has given the public a "refresher" on its Street View privacy following concerns expressed about its lack of data protection by German authorities.
Google was forced to respond on its European Public Policy Blog in a post telling the public exactly what the score is with the data collected by its roving camera cars.
The refresher is really just an exercise in response to a beef with Germany's Data Protection Authority (DPA). The German DPA suggested that anonymously collecting location data using Street View cars might be illegal.
Google is collecting MAC addresses to expand its Geo Location API service. This provides punters with limited triangulated location awareness for anyone without a GPS. The problem is that Google "did not think it was necessary" to tell the DPA in Germany that it is doing this. Doh.
"We do not believe this is illegal - this is all publicly broadcast information which is accessible to anyone with a WiFi enabled device," said a Google spokesperson.
Google also took the opportunity to say, "it's not just us, guv." Apparently Microsoft, SkyHook and Teleatlas are also collecting the same photos and WiFi network information.
"Many other companies have been collecting data just like this for as long as, if not longer," said Google. µ
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I'm in the UK where the rules may be different, and I handle, amongst other things, local government gazetteer records, databases of real estate, land and homes and business premises. This probably isn't personal data since it refers to objects, not people, but arguably it becomes personal when it's a home that you own and/or live in, or if a location is named "John Smith Motors" then it appears to be personal to John Smith. (And I'm not sure what we do if the site is taken over by Walter Wall Carpets. Well, not my problem.)
German authorities are just pissed that they are not as good at this as google.
This is an extreme case of a pot calling a kettle black.
Can't say I like the concept of google scanning for any WiFi MAC from devices I might have in operation, and saying it's 'public' is a bit iffy since when I talk to an acquaintance or relative in the street it's also in the open, but if google/bing/whatever(including the government) walked around with recorders and put it all on the internet I'd be pissed as hell.
Good point that they all do it though, and in fact there have been public wifi spot maps since way before the big searchengines started to discover the concept, albeit with a bit more voluntary cooperation of people.