Google Says It Mistakenly Collected Data on Web Usage

Wall Street Journal ^ | 5-14-10 | Jessica E. Vascellaro

[STARWISE]

Google Inc. said an internal investigation has discovered that the roving vans the company uses to create its online mapping services were mistakenly collecting data about websites people were visiting over wireless networks.

The Internet giant said it would stop collecting Wi-Fi data from its StreetView vans, which workers drive to capture street images and to locate Wi-Fi networks. The company said it would dispose of the data it had accidentally collected.

*snip*

"It's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) Wi-Fi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products," wrote Mr. Eustace. "We are profoundly sorry for this error and are determined to learn all the lessons we can from our mistake."

[Dan Nunn]

They could be doing a raw traffic dump, but how much data can they get in ~5 seconds of driving by? And why even admit to it at all? If they denied it, who would ever know the difference?

[Tallguy]

The ultimate ‘War Drive’.

[steveab]

Google. Why is Al Gore on your board of directors?

[Tallguy]

You’re right. You can’t be casually driving by on a mapping expedition while cracking WPA in something near real-time. And what if the router isn’t handling DHCP?

[Big Horn]

If I want nothing to do with google what sites can I use on internet?

[Tallguy]

“They could be doing a raw traffic dump, but how much data can they get in ~5 seconds of driving by? And why even admit to it at all? If they denied it, who would ever know the difference?”

A disgruntled Google employee dropped a dime on them? It’s almost always an insider.

I agree with an earlier post that suggests that there will be a huge lawsuit over this. This News release is to get out in front. The Army calls it ‘preparing the battlefield’.

[Big Horn]

If I want nothing to do with google what sites can I use on internet?

[unkus]

Steve Urkel now works at Google.
“Did I do that?”

---

Could be the other way around. This Regime is very dangerous.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What? No ‘Clusty’ listed as a search engine? I use it all the time.

http://www.clusty.com

And Google is full of it. You can’t find the dirt on any ‘Rat or any sites that give you the truth about the state of our economy without having to dig for it on Google.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Hey, it was an accident - Google had no idea their street cameras could pick up wifi addresses, correleate them with the photographs, identify the addresses of the photographed houses, look up and match the residents of the houses, match them with the wifi addresses and store them in a secret database."

Yep, happens to me all the time, you are involved looking up stuff on the internet about home improvement and suddenly you are on a webpage with midget porn. It just kinda sneaks up on you because all those buttons and keys on your computer are confusing and well mistakes happen right....

(hehehehe)

[rawhide]

Somebody had to include the application that was collectiing this, therefore they knew what was being collected. But obamma will give google an exemption from presecution, as they are a big-time supporter, though that will never be the announced as the reason.

[freebilly]

The company said it would dispose of the data it had accidentally collected.

They commit a criminal act in collecting the info, and now they want to cover it up. Nice....

[ops33]

“...which workers drive to capture street images and to locate Wi-Fi networks...”

Exactly!!

[rawhide]

I read where a guy in Germany asked google just recently whether they were doing this collecting of data, and google strongly denied it. And then google stated they started their own internal investigation, and discovered they were in fact collecting this data.

(I suspect they knew all along the data was being collected, but they figured they had to come clean now, after denying it, because of the legal ramifications of denying it before. The just bought some time between at first denying it, and now disclosing they were indeed collecting it, to come up with a legal response. (and to contact obamma and AG Holder for their help.))

[chuck_the_tv_out]

If I want nothing to do with google what sites can I use on internet?

It's not just Google. There is an "Internet MSM" emerging, which will be more of a thron in our backside in 20 years than the dinosaur one.

Instead of Blogger, Typepad

Instead of Earth, NASA worldwind (Which Google Earth ripped off)

Instead of Maps, anyone elses maps, eg Bing Maps (but MS are MSNBC so...)

Instead of Youtube, Liveleak

Instead of Search, Christian Search (if you want to keep porn away from your family also) or maybe Ixquick

[RockinRight]

Not sure what wireless web useage has to do with snapping pictures of streets for Google Maps...

[RockinRight]

The thing I do like about Google is the street view - Bing’s “birds-eye” is OK but nothing is cooler than seeing places I’ve never been as if I were driving there in my car.

Damn shame that Google is doing this.

[ohioWfan]

Mistakenly?? Give me a break!

[tutstar]

Sure it was a mistake. Sure they’ll get rid of the data. Sure.

[tutstar]

ping