Google Street View is 'greatest breach in the

[Still Waters]

Google's controversial Street View service was today labelled the 'single biggest privacy breach in history'.

The internet giant deliberately set out to collect personal data - including private emails - from computer users as its cars drove past photographing buildings, it was alleged.

Condemning Google as 'creepy', Australia’s communications minister claimed the firm thought it was above the law.

Images of individual homes, shops, offices and pubs have been taken by a fleet of Google cars driving up and down public roads across major countries, including Britain, and posted online.

But the search engine admitted earlier this month that its cars had also accidentally collected data from unprotected Wi-Fi connections as they drove past.

Yesterday Stephen Conroy, Australia's minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, claimed at a Senate hearing that Google deliberately decided to collect the private information.

Read more...

[Mr.United_Nations]

I highly doubt it is the highest Breach. The CIA watches 70% of people via cameras, satelittes, stake outs and by foot. Google isn't really breaching if it was then it would update itself. Clearly the media has the highest breaches.

[Wickian]

I don't see how seeing a picture of the outside of someones house, that is already in public view, is a breach of privacy. As for picking up internet signals, learn how to encrypt your wireless internet with a password. That's what I do.

[ninjadude]

I don't see how seeing a picture of the outside of someones house, that is already in public view, is a breach of privacy. As for picking up internet signals, learn how to encrypt your wireless internet with a password. That's what I do.

+1. If it's viewable from the street or accessible from the street, it's public. no breach at all.

If you don't like someone being able to see your house then put up a fence and camo over the roof if your town will let you get away with such paranoia.

[rashore]

I don't think google randomly picking up my Wifi is cool Glad I have security settings

Really though, why does google need to do random Wifi scanning in the first place?

[supervike]

Collecting data from WIFI signals means nothing..since most of them blast out their signal. That's hardly any sort of offense to pick up the signal.

[aquatus1]

Soon privacy will be relegated to the past, where it belongs, along with all the other fads that eventually became outmoded.

[ExpandMyMind]

british citizens are captured on cctv cameras an average of 300 times per day, per person.

i think google is the least of our worries...

[MARAB0D]

Soon privacy will be relegated to the past, where it belongs, along with all the other fads that eventually became outmoded.

This would be after you apply for google to install cameras in your bedroom, toilet and bathroom. Until that, all what is "public domain" still remains public domain. Private domain is what you actually pay for - buy yourself an island in Caribbean, and no google would have any cameras on it without your permission. As for the rest of the inhabited world, the people who inhabit it decide, do they need cameras or not. You know, Majority... So far i can hear only criminals, objecting the cameras, while the majority is silent... Why? What do you think?

[aquatus1]

Same as I thought before. Privacy is nothing more than a fad, hence your comment about people deciding whether or not they are going to care about cameras or not. And while I agree with most of your sentiments, I have actually heard very few (if any) known criminals objecting to cameras. By far, the people that have complained about cameras don't seem to have any criminal records that have been brought to light.

[MissMelsWell]

My daughter was recently offered a job at Google working on the Street View project. I happen to know Google has a staff of 200 people whose only job is to use a set of tools to blur out faces, license plate numbers, and other personally identifying information in their Street View pictures.

It's actually kind of funny, the Google corporate offices (Kirkland Wa) are maybe 2 miles from my house.... my neighborhood still doesn't have Street View maps. LOL.

They also collected information about unsecured wireless? Ummm... ok, it's UNsecured.

I'm glad my daughter didn't take the job at Google though, she opted instead to take another position with Xbox.

[ninjadude]

buy yourself an island in Caribbean, and no google would have any cameras on it without your permission.

"Google Earth" would cover it. You should try it sometime. and it's free. download

Edited May 28, 2010 by ninjadude

[Left-Field]

I was about to start a new thread on this topic as I never heard of it until early this morning. Fox News had a report stating 9 countries claim Google has violated privacy policies by collecting private information (such as bank info and passwords) through use of their Street View vehicles.

I did an internet search to find new articles discussing this however, and realized the articles were dated as far back as 2010, which is why I then did a search on UM and came across this thread.

In reading through some of these replies I am surprised to learn some don't seem to care that Google managed to obtain this type of information about numerous individuals throughout multiple countries.

It makes the thought of Big Brother ring all too true to me.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Silvergun Superman

[ninjadude]

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. And especially from fox news. They are an entertainment company.

[Space Commander Travis]

I was about to start a new thread on this topic as I never heard of it until early this morning. Fox News had a report stating 9 countries claim Google has violated privacy policies by collecting private information (such as bank info and passwords) through use of their Street View vehicles.

how can they possibly do that? Do they suppose that they're really packed with Surveillance equipment that intelligence services would probably give their right arm for?

[Corp]

If street view is the greatest breech in privacy history than damn we're in better shape than I thought.

[+and-then]

When the expectation of privacy is a thing of the past I hope that the mores of our society calculate that into behavior. If anyone's surfing habits can be made public to any degree, no matter how embarrassing they might be, then society should just shrug and say so what...right?

Nah..I doubt it. Publicly posting such info would end marriages, partnerships, businesses - hell it might even cause real mayhem like murder. Some cities combat prostitution by publicizing the names of the customers. this could go WAY BEYOND that little embarrassment. Hypothetically speaking..of course

[Left-Field]

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. And especially from fox news. They are an entertainment company.

The Google company has already admitted to collecting this private information over a period of more than three years (2006-2010) by use of their Street View mapping vehicles.

Google Says It Collected Private Data by Mistake

Edited March 13, 2012 by Silvergun Superman

[Left-Field]

how can they possibly do that? Do they suppose that they're really packed with Surveillance equipment that intelligence services would probably give their right arm for?

If Google has the means to collect such information by driving past your house you can rest assured intelligence agencies are capable of doing the same.

I don't fully understand how it works, but in reading about this subject it appears they collect the information through wireless internet transmissions.

[ninjadude]

data that happened to be transmitted over nonpassword protected Wi-Fi networks

See this makes it NOT Googles fault. If you advertise your passwords and financial data on nonpassword protected wifi networks, it's your own damn fault. You don't have a leg to stand on. It's like panting a sign on your front door with your SS number and bank account information. It's not a privacy issue. It's a stupidity issue.

[Left-Field]

See this makes it NOT Googles fault. If you advertise your passwords and financial data on nonpassword protected wifi networks, it's your own damn fault. You don't have a leg to stand on. It's like panting a sign on your front door with your SS number and bank account information. It's not a privacy issue. It's a stupidity issue.

You're entitled to have your own take on the subject, but it is most definitely a privacy issue. No one should be able to obtain others private information simply by passing by their house on the street.

And despite what you state above, it is very much so Google's fault. They've even acknowledged as much. They had some code put into their hardware that allowed them to collect this information. The code shouldn't have been placed into whatever device used that collected this data. Google has said that themselves.

To add to that, it appears what they did is also illegal (or at least it seems it is in some countries).

[ZaraKitty]

Google is the ex that just never got over you..

[+and-then]

Google is the ex that just never got over you..

Just stalking for now...the blackmail comes later

[ninjadude]

You're entitled to have your own take on the subject, but it is most definitely a privacy issue. No one should be able to obtain others private information simply by passing by their house on the street.

You clearly don't understand WIfi and what Non-protected networks mean. If you use Wireless over an unprotected network, you are BROADCASTING this information to the STREET. ANYONE can see your private information. Your neighbors, cars passing by, people walking, phones, tablets, whatever. It's YOUR fault, not Google. They didn't data mine it. They didn't unencrypt it. They didn't break into anything. They just received it. In the clear.

[Wickian]

It's hard to call anything that takes pictures of the street anyone can freely walk on an invasion of privacy.

If you don't want something seen to the public, put up a fence or bring it indoors.