“The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Google Inc., leaving the company to face lawsuits accusing it of violating a federal wiretapping law by secretly collecting personal data while developing its Street View maps,” Greg Stohr reports for Bloomberg.
“Google, the world’s most-used Internet search engine, is accused in class-action lawsuits of gathering e-mails, user names and passwords while using a fleet of camera-equipped vehicles that drove around the country to collect images for Street View,” Stohr reports. “Google has apologized for collecting the personal information, while saying it didn’t violate the law. ”
Stohr reports, “The Mountain View, California-based company has faced government investigations around the world over its data-gathering practices.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Google fined $7 million over Street View privacy breaches – March 12, 2013
Google outfoxes U.S. FCC – April 17, 2012
Google Street View cars grabbed locations of cellphones, computers – July 26, 2011
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
U.S. FCC approves so-called ‘net-neutrality’ regulations – December 21, 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
“Google has apologized for collecting the personal information, while saying it didn’t violate the law. “
Well the Supreme Court says you did violate the law!
Sadly, the supreme court along with the DOJ have been playing politics MUCH more than dealing with the law.
Just saying.
Yeah! Who do they think they are, the NSA! Better back down and leave this to the Federal Government. They know how to manipulate and exploit that group called “We the people”.
Actually, the Supreme Court affirmed the U.S. Wiretap Act protects the privacy of information on unencrypted in-home Wi-Fi networks. The coming lawsuits against Google will determine whether or not they violated the law. Google’s argument was that the law did not apply.
I’d love to participate in the inevitable upcoming class action lawsuit.
overhead:
Taliban leader Musa “The Angry Mouse” Mustapha:
“Stealing personal data? Do we need further proof? …. First these infidels create Windows, it would be ok if they just used it over THERE but they had to foist it on the rest of the world, then they came out with ANDROID….. this plague… and they wonder WHY WE JIHAD????!!!!”
Do we need further proof? Living in caves is preferable to living with Windows. /s
Sounds like NSA and Google are competing to see who can be the leading violator of the Constitution.