“Google’s Street View cars collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world, a practice that raises novel privacy concerns,” Declan McCullagh reports for CNET.
“The cars were supposed to collect the locations of Wi-Fi access points,” McCullagh reports. “But Google also recorded the street addresses and unique identifiers of computers and other devices using those wireless networks and then made the data publicly available through Google.com until a few weeks ago.”
“A previous CNET article, published June 15 and triggered by the research of security consultant Ashkan Soltani, was the first to report that Google made these unique hardware IDs–called MAC addresses–publicly available through a Web interface,” McCullagh reports. “Google curbed the practice about a week later.”
McCullagh reports, “Google does not provide any method, sometimes called an opt-out mechanism, that would allow people who don’t want their unique hardware IDs in the database to remove them. Instead of using Street View cars, Google new [sic] ‘crowdsources’ its location database by using Android phones.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Glenn Beck: Be wary of Google, they way they think is creepy (with video) – February 17, 2011
Consumer Watchdog calls for probe of Google’s inappropriate relationship with Obama administration – January 25, 2011
FCC cites Android ‘openness’ as reason for neutered ‘Net Neutrality’ – December 22, 2010
Google CEO Schmidt: If you don’t like being in Google Street View then ‘just move’ – October 28, 2010
Consumer Watchdog ads mock Google CEO Eric Schmidt (with video) – September 2, 2010
Google CEO Schmidt: Change your name to escape ‘cyber past’ – August 18, 2010
Wired: Google, CIA Invest in ‘future’ of Web monitoring – July 29, 2010
37 states join probe into Google’s questionable Wi-Fi data collection – July 22, 2010
Google Street View Wi-Fi data included passwords and email – June 18, 2010
If this ain’t a class action nothing is.
“Google does not provide any method… that would allow people who don’t want their unique hardware IDs in the database to remove them.”
And EVEN IF they did — as if the general public would even know what that means or what to do.
Exactly. All the Windows users will just say to themselves “What do I care about a Mac address? I don’t even have a Mac” 🙂
This lends support to critics who say that Google treats people as subjects whose activities can be observed, quantified, analyzed and sold.
Google doesn’t know what the word privacy means.
Heck, broadcasters have been doing exactly this since forever. Google and others are doing what comes naturally to this type of service – they turn their service users into the product.
When you watch tv or listen to the radio do you think you’re using the broadcaster’s product? Not. You, along with all of the stats about you that can be gleened, are sold to advertisers of products and services. This is all that Google is doing. The quantum leap in data granularity that an internet delivered service can acquire is what makes us whince, but it’s really business as usual.
Welcome to the real world where everybody knows everything.
Of course no one will get bent about this because it’s not Apple doing it.
Unfortunately true. Scandal sells, whether it’s real or manufactured. And there’s no hotter scandal than darling of the industry’s fall from grace. Stupid, mean-spirited people love to see Apple stumble. There are evidently far more of these people in the world than we would like to believe.
Googles innovate practices often move far beyond normal companies. Too bad we get thrown in the mix without protection and I guest Google will say to change our name plus the devices if we want further privacy. The dime is on us.
Hope they innovate straight to legal bankruptcy.
Just another reason to own and use an Android phone…NOT!
They need to stop them from all this collecting of data – Including storing all the searches anyone does.. I really do not trust Google at all..
Once a thief, always a thief. Google’s culture is stealing, steal user information from average Joe, steal IP from Oracle, Apple. All they have done is building better stealing tool to steal.
Don’t be Google.℠
er… They prefer to call it sharing…
information sharing of corse…
till they run their course, of course.
Think before you Google.
course…
Didn’t Murdoch’s dogs do this kind of stuff?
They all do it. Murdock got caught. Never trust any media corporation. They sell commercials to have all those “journalist” on staff. Fox, CNN, CNBC, ABC, CBS- just bad corporations. trust any Media corporate new channel at ones own risk!
Ever see the movie Network!
Must see!
google has now logged the location of all neck beards’ basements through android syphoning
Jobs called it .
This privacy invasion by Google is totally unacceptable. They have crossed the line.
I am assuming this is illegal? A violation of civil rights?
The real question though, is how does Google get away without reprisals/legal action – unless they have a friend in high places?
Oh, and that “don’t do evil” thing? It’s a bunch of BS.
Did Google collect any unsecured Wi-Fi connections from Fred Mertz? Do we know where he lives? Can we scan the Google database to see if Fred Mertz is on MDN’s payroll? Does Fred Mertz Wi-Fi MAC address tell us if he lives with LynnW?
“Google new [sic] ‘crowdsources’ its location database by using Android phones.”
In other words, if you use an Android phone, whenever your location services are turned on, your phone transmits the location of your phone, as well as your WiFi MAC address back to Google, so that other Android phones, (presumably, those with GPS turned off, or without one) can easily triangulate their position based on WiFi data from YOUR phone (and others).
Even if we disregard, for a brief moment, the massive privacy implications this has, Google is harnessing YOUR phone, draining its battery, processor cycles and, more importantly, sucking data from your metered plan, without your knowledge or approval, for their own corporate gain.
Are there words to express the level of disgust for such brazen corporate abuse?
Without your knowledge or approval? You have to turn the service on and tap “AGREE” to the notice that comes up and tells you flat out that they will track you.
Not only that, but it specifically states “Collection will occur even when no applications are running”
Its not like its some secret that you just discover is running (well I guess it could seem that way if you are a total twit and don’t remember clicking AGREE because you were to busy to bother reading the message that comes up).
The issue I have is the data they are collecting, if it can be used to identify a person and track that person’s location.
Reading this story it appears that was possible at least for awhile and open to people on the internet.
Whether Google’s intentions were entirely honorable may be open to debate. What is crystal clear is how extraordinarily bad Google’s judgment can be sometimes. They are really playing with fire, and the consequences of a serious mistake could be devastating for the whole civilized world. Google thinks they’re in control, but obviously they are not.
Like the scientists who developed the atomic bomb, Googleis also blind to the truly evil potential of the technology they are working so hard to create. And unlike nuclear technology, which is developed behind impenetrable walls of steel where it is relatively safe from the lunatics who would like to use it against us, computer technology (much of it, anyway) is there for the taking via the world wide web. Scary stuff indeed.
You can call me paranoid if you want but Google’s Schmidt is a Bilderberg attendee and I think this was done on purpose in order to keep track of people.
Von Schmidt De Bildenburg
Sort of like the Wiki leaks. It was hidden information that someone uncovered (think of your diary) then uses it to exploit you.
It is interesting how Google manages to conduct this but then “voluntarily” stops when caught.
Is this leaving anyone else with a real ‘Dark Knight’ vibe? I can just imagine Morgan Freeman handing in his resignation at Google Enterprises R&D right now…
Do no evil…. MY ASS!
Jobs called it.
Millions of people in the United States and around the world use cellular phones. They are such great gadgets — with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere! These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, .
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