Earlier today Google released the full report of the FCC’s investigation into the collection of “payload data” from open Wi-Fi networks — aka passwords, email and search history from open networks — that its fleet of Street View cars obtained between 2008 and April 2010. An earlier and heavily redacted version of the report was released on April 15 but today’s version only redacted the names of individuals.
The report found no violation of any wrong doing by the company because there was no legal precedent on the matter. The FCC found that Google did not violate the Communications Act citing the fact that Wi-Fi did not exist when it was written. However, the FCC did fine Google $25,000 for obstructing the investigation, which was presumably the outcome of Google refusing to show the FCC what the data being collected entailed because it might have shown that the company broke privacy and wiretapping laws. Google says any obstruction was result of the FCC dragging out the investigation. Interestingly enough, the report did reveal that the data harvesting was not the act of a rogue engineer and that said engineer notified the Street View team of what was going on.
(Wait. What? Google knew this was going on! It gets even better.) → Read More
Have you started seeing images in online reCAPTCHAs that look suspiciously like house numbers pulled from Google Street View? Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly what they are. Google confirmed it’s currently running an experiment that involves using its reCAPTCHA spam-fighting system to improve data in Google Maps by having users identify things like street names and business addresses.
→ Read More
Back in August, Google announced that it was teaming up with nonprofit Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon to map a small section of the massive Rio Negro river (tributary of the Amazon) near Manaus. As expected, it took quite a while, but the results are now available for you to play with.
The area they covered is a sort of inlet west of Manaus and the coastline northwards from there. The idea is apparently just to provide a way for people to see what it’s like there without hopping on a plane and chartering a boat. The project resulted in 50,000 still pictures, which have been stitched into 50km of shore, forest, and village for your Street Viewing pleasure. → Read More
It’s hard to believe that Google’s Street View has been in use for over four years. What’s more amazing, perhaps, given the rate at which they have canvassed the world’s streets and alleyways, that there is anywhere left unmapped. But while their teams have successfully traced the surfaces of most large cities and a number of other interesting areas, I suppose it won’t come as a surprise that the remote reaches of the Amazon have not yet been put under the lens.
They aim to change that, however, and have detailed in a blog post their plans to Street-View-ize a large section of the river. It’s being done in collaboration with the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon, a nonprofit working in the area. → Read More
Man, another day, another “Google in privacy uproar” story. I guess my name is Phil Connors. The UK Information Commissioner has said that yes, in fact, Google did commit a “significant breach” of the Data Privacy Act when it collected people’s private information with its Street View vehicles. Great, so what happens now? → Read More
Google may have ended its feud with the Federal Trade Commission, but its standing in Europe isn’t as cut-and-dry. Street View, the mapping service that has caused much consternation, has just gone live in Germany, but in a modified form. So far, the only place where it’s gone live is Oberstaufen in Munich → Read More
After much hullabaloo, Google and the Federal Trade Commission have kissed and made up. This, only a few days after Google admitted to “accidentally” collecting people’s private data with its Street View cars. Google had promised, in so many words, that it would never do that (collect people’s private data) again, a promise that satisfied the FTC. And, scene. → Read More
If Google Street View and Chatroulette mated and gave birth to a lovechild, it’d look a lot like MapCrunch. For the record, this is not a TechCrunch network site, and would have probably been better off with a name like MapRoulette or StreetviewRoulette or something.
Either way, if you want to be taken to a random location on Google Street View (in North America, Europe, Asia or Australasia), either by clicking a button or automagically after a couple of seconds, MapCrunch is the mash-up place to be. → Read More
Parts of Europe have been, for whatever reason, more wary of Google’s Street View service than others. The occasional lawsuit hasn’t prevented the march of progress, though Italy’s new regulations may cause more of a hassle than the occasional grumpy homeowner. The Privacy Authority President, Francesco Pizzetti, described the outrage:
“There has been strong alarm and also hostility in a lot of European countries against Google taking photos. We have received protests even from local administrations.”
Odd that a country so heavily invested in their tourist industry, which consists largely of foreign people taking millions of photos of the country’s most precious possessions, would take issue with the far more systematic and predictable Street View operations. Considering their handling of that other incident, it seems that perhaps the Italian government is simply not equipped to deal progressively with the implications and consequences of the internet and Google in particular. → Read More
For the longest time Google had denied that its Street View cars had ever captured data—logins, passwords, and the like—from open Wi-Fi access points. Well, it’s now admitted to doing so, saying that such data was “mistakenly collected.” Google says it’s “mortified. → Read More
Google cannot contain its legal problems surrounding the inadvertent collection of personal data from WiFi networks by ots global fleet of Street View cars. Earlier today, police in South Korea raided Google’s offices there to confiscate computers storing data collected from Street View cars in that country. This action follows similar investigations in France, Germany, the UK (where Google was cleared), and a multi-state investigation in the U.S. → Read More
I’ve been known to give Facebook a hard time over its lax security and disregard for user privacy but, frankly, Google’s doing a pretty good job at keeping up.
Not to be outdone by the social networking site, the search giant has already got into hot water for the overzealous nature by which it collected WiFi data when driving around towns in 30 countries creating its Google Maps Street View.
As we reported at the time, Street View cars had been “mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks” since 2006, although we didn’t see it as a major privacy issue, stating that it wasn’t likely that Google grabbed enough data about many individuals to make it a real concern. Google, of course, said pretty much the same thing.
Now it seems that they (and we) were wrong. → Read More
The question now becomes, how much trouble will Google get in for its wanton stealing of private data? You’ll recall that Google was caught collecting data from people’s open Wi-Fi access points, something the company just sorta brushed off. Google shrugged its shoulders and said, “meh, whatever, we didn’t do anything wrong here.” If only the various governments of the world saw it that way. France, fresh off its World Cup farce, says that Google’s Street View vehicles collected people’s passwords as they drove about—not cool, no. → Read More
[Germany] We Germans are very picky when it comes to online privacy. Not only is Google Analytics in danger of being banned for storing user data on ‘foreign servers’, Facebook apps are probably illegal because they pass too much private information to third parties. Also Google Street View is a constant bone of contention. Several mayors of cities and villages like Molfsee or Pfaffenhofen have already tried to ban Google’s camera cars from their streets, until someone told them there was no law against driving around taking pictures. → Read More
Google has been making Maps and Earth are a bit more social these days, letting users create 3D buildings and using crowdsourcing to help update changes in terrain and on roads. Now Google Street View is hoping to engage users by letting them suggest spots where the “Trike” should venture. → Read More
If you suddenly find yourself with $300 to burn, an old laptop, and too much time on your hands this weekend, I might suggest that you build a DIY Google Street View-style rig for your car. That’s what West Point student Roy Ragsdale did for his “disruptive technologies” class. And if someone at West Point does it, it’s okay for you to do it. → Read More
Can’t get enough of the Google Street View Trike? Here’s a video of the same, allowing you to bask in the glory of a bike that will steal your privacy as it trundles through your small English town. → Read More
Google has updated its Street View to include such major UK cities as London, Belfast, Birmingham, and Cardiff (hello to my friends in Wales). Predictably, the privacy argument has arisen; I say predictably because it hasn’t died down here in the states yet. And after all, the “surveillance society” controversy is even more hotly discussed over there — what with cameras on every street corner. → Read More
Thanks for waiting patiently for this to all pan out over the last year or so, but that Pittsburgh couple that wanted $25,000+ from Google after noticing their home on Google Maps Street View has had their case thrown out of court. → Read More
I’ve been cruising around my neighborhood in the updated Street View today and have already found a few interesting items. For instance, as you see above, the stretch of northbound I-5 above Eastlake is now a terrifying corridor of colorful static. I haven’t driven that stretch in a few weeks so I guess it’s possible, but I should have noticed it when I was out there at the Lo-Fi last Saturday. What other glitches mar the face of the Emerald City? → Read More
San Francisco, CA
