ICO lets Google off the hook for collecting WiFi data

ADVERTISING BROKER Google has managed to appease the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) by signing an undertaking that it will improve data handling procedures in the wake of its Street View cars WiFi data collection scandal.

The ICO has announced Google signed up to improving its training measures on security awareness and data protection issues for all employees. The firm also vowed it will require all engineers to maintain a "privacy design document" for every new project before it goes live.

As for the UK WiFi payload data that Google says it 'mistakenly' collected, well, Google will delete that data. Since news broke of Google's possession of the data, there has been concern that the UK authorities might try to get their mitts on it. Being fair to Google, it has always said and even fought against handing the data over to government authorities.

Aside from Google's promises, the ICO said that it will conduct a full audit of Google's internal privacy structure, privacy training and the privacy reviews that Google has said it will conduct prior to the rollout of any new project. The ICO will conduct its audit within the next nine months.

Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner said, "We will be keeping a close watch on the progress Google makes and will follow up with an extensive audit. Meanwhile, I welcome the fact that the WiFi payload data that should never have been collected in the first place can, at last, be deleted."

For Google, the Street View scandal has been an embarrassing stain on the reputation of the "Don't be evil" firm that prides itself on presenting an innocuous corporate image, and some will say that the ICO has let the firm off the hook too easily, without imposing an adequate penalty.

Now Google surely will be hoping that the ICO's audit doesn't come up with anything that might embarrass it further. µ