They’ve told people that they should move house to avoid Streetview. They’ve published censorship maps to ‘rat out’ governments who’ve asked for data to be removed. But Google have finally been succesfully taken to task for continuing to breach UK privacy laws.
The Information Commissioner has ruled that Google committed a “significant breach” of UK data protection laws when the Streetview cars “accidentally” collected email addresses and passwords over unsecured WiFi networks. As punishment, Google recieved a severe telling off (court reports don’t actually mention if the commissioner waggled his finger, but we like to think he did) and instructions not to do it again. Google also has to delete the illegally obtained information “as soon as it [can] do so”.
In response, Google’s lawyer said that he was “profoundly sorry” – which was nice of him. In an unrelated privacy/data protection case, Google will also be donating $8.5 million to US privacy groups following a lawsuit over Google Buzz.
But if you’re planning on suing Google yourself – don’t bother. In an email sent to Gmail users this morning, the search giants explained that the ruling didn’t set a precedent for paying out. You’ll still need to move house to get away from Streetview.
When Google’s not accidentally taking things from unsecured WiFi, it’s providing a great opportunity for business owners. To see how our search engine consultants can help you, visit firstfound.co.uk, or call 0161 909 3400.
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