There's one thing I can promise you about the space program. Your tax dollars will go further. - Wernher Von Braun
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Google won’t do what the Germans want
A MIDNIGHT DEADLINE for Google to hand over WiFi data collected by its Street View cars to German regulators has come and gone.
It concerns an issue two weeks ago where Google admitted to hoovering up information taken from unsecured WiFi data networks, such as personal emails and messages. It caused a bit of a storm, and Google promised to cooperate with regulators.
But in a statement, Google said that the Hamburg data protection authority had made a number of requests, including access to an original hard-drive containing the payload data, and a Street View car.
A Google spokesperson said, "We want to cooperate with these requests - indeed we have already given him access to a car."
"But as granting access to payload data creates legal challenges in Germany which we need to review, we are continuing to discuss the appropriate legal and logistical process for making the data available."
One of the worries that Google has is that handing over the data would violate German telecom laws, as it contained confidential information.
Bloomberg noted that Hamburg Privacy Data Agent Johannes Caspar didn't agree, who said in a statement, "I don't agree with Google's position that handing over the data to the regulator would constitute a criminal act." µ
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As someone living in Germany for the last 5-6 years, I'm not at all worried about the German government's attitude to privacy. We've had the Nazis, Stasi, etc, and I'm fairly happy that lessons have actually been learned.
Over here, we have some pretty healthy laws (forgiving the odd idiotic ruling on security tools) - most notably being, if your photograph is taken, you own the copyright to it - not the photographer. Privacy is respected, here.
I don't understand what the fuss is about. Anybody using an unsecured network to perform security-sensitive tasks has only got themselves to blame. It's like if you leave your car unlocked, someone takes it - and guess what, insurance company doesnt pay out. Why? Because it's your own fault. People need to get some brains or do some research rather than pleading ignorance.
The proper response to this request should be "We cannot hand over the data, as it was deleted as soon as the higher ups found out about it."
That they cannot say this means they want to keep the data.
Here's the issue from what I gather, google streetview is not yet available in germany, because the german government is hesitant and many civilians don't like their house and such pictured, now while google had the discussion to explain it's all not so bad they told that they also collected wifi hotpots, which of course only added to the concern, then they announced they accidentally captured bits of data, but the germans put questionmarks with the accidental remark (and the 'bits' one) since it went on for a year and it was 600GB of data, so the reason they want a car and a HD is to determine what google REALLY captured instead of shifty sounding claims.
And I think they have a point, because google keep having those 'accidents' like that EULA they had for using the chrome browser initially, that brutally took the users's complete rights, and then also said that was an accident, seems when google get found out that's their standard story, and it's all cute and well but it does make sense to check such stories if you can.
On the other hand if you are so concerned about privacy then you should also understand google can't just hand over stuff willy-nilly and continue to claim they are protecting privacy, which the germans themselves have as a demand, it's a catch-22 situation, hand over data and you are unreliable, do not and you can't prove you are reliable
Sure. Let the German govt have the data. And the UK, and the US ... let's let all the govts have the data so they can check it out. To make it easier, let's just put it all on the web so they can just download it.
Really ? Again, what would they do with it ? Do you really want your data in the hands of even more bureaucrats who would likely keep it on their laptops and leave overnight in the back seat of their car ?
@ಠ_ಠ;
that's a pretty idiotic statement. Yes, you DO have a reasonable expectation of privacy on a PRIVATE network, even if it isn't secured. Not everyone who uses technology has a good grasp on it, that doesn't make it OK to exploit them.
Honestly, I can't understand how people who hold this opinion can object to a voyeuristic government. Perhaps it's OK as long is it isn't your data, right?
While it was wrong and sinister for google to do what it did, the collected data needs to be deleted. Plain and simple. And besides.. handing over private, personal data at the demand of the German government? Kind of brings back a few memories from Germany's past, eh? Geheime Staatspolizei!, Secret State Police! History repeating itself. I feel sorry for the German citizens who have to put up with this crap.
I don't get this. Honestly, if you're using an unsecured wireless access point what are you doing sending ANYTHING even remotely personal?
There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when using an unsecured wireless access point. Maybe they should educate people about proper wireless security instead of bitching and moaning about what Google did. There are a fair number of more ill intentioned people out there than Google that you should be worrying about.
Obstruction of justice my ass. If I lived in Germany, I'd badly want someone to take a hammer and vent some frustration on that hard drive. I would trust the government as far as I could throw it.
Sucking up all available data. I'm not as shocked as some in gov't seem to be, only because I've sour views of both wi-fi and go_ogle (how apt that pronunciation is for Street View, huh?).
BUT as usual there's potentially more than appears on the surface. Not least is that go_ogle had the likelihood of learning where "secret" gov't installations are just from the presence of hotspot and its traffic. That verges on spying, and since gov'ts aren't blind to go_ogle's true purpose, they could be worried.
And by the way, Hector, deleting the data is potentially obstruction of justice. You also rather bizarrely attempt to shift blame onto German gov't when all they want is a look at this "innocently" collected data.
What would the German government do with all this personal data ? Sell it ?
Google messed up collecting the data. Seems kind of stupid to start making it available to everyone. They should just delete it.