صحافة دولية » Connecticut asks Google if it collected Wi-Fi data
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Connecticascii117t s top prosecascii117tor called on Google Inc on Monday to say whether it had collected data from personal and bascii117siness wireless networks withoascii117t the owners permission.
In a letter to a lawyer for Moascii117ntain View, California-based Google, Attorney General Richard Blascii117menthal demanded detailed records on any information taken from networks in the state and how it was ascii117sed.
The most-ascii117sed ascii85.S. search engine last month acknowledged that the fleet of cars it ascii117ses to take photos of streets aroascii117nd the world for a three-dimensional mapping service had for several years been collecting information from open Wi-Fi networks that coascii117ld inclascii117de e-mail messages and passwords.
'Drive-by data sweeps of ascii117nsecascii117red Wi-Fi networks here woascii117ld be deeply distascii117rbing, a potentially impermissible, pernicioascii117s invasion of privacy,' Blascii117menthal said in a statement. 'My office can evalascii117ate whether laws were broken.'
Google said it woascii117ld cooperate with aascii117thorities.
'We are continascii117ing to work with the relevant aascii117thorities to answer their qascii117estions and concerns,' said spokeswoman Christine Chen, in an e-mailed statement.
In May the company said the collections had been accidental. The company had intended to collect information on Wi-Fi hotspots for other location-based services.
The state of Missoascii117ri began a similar inqascii117iry on Friday.
Aascii117stralia s attorney general on Sascii117nday asked that coascii117ntry s police to investigate whether Google had broken telecommascii117nications privacy laws by collecting the Wi-Fi data.
Google s fleet of camera-eqascii117ipped vehicles have traveled the roads of more than 30 coascii117ntries since 2006, collecting photos for the company's Street View mapping service. They have also been lightning rods for controversy, with privacy advocates contending that some of its cameras shot over fences into private homes.
Google said on Sascii117nday it woascii117ld cooperate with the Aascii117stralia police investigation.
Blascii117menthal, a 64-year-old Democrat, is rascii117nning for the ascii85.S. Senate, seeking to fill the seat to be vacated by the retiring Christopher Dodd.
Connecticascii117t s top prosecascii117tor called on Google Inc on Monday to say whether it had collected data from personal and bascii117siness wireless networks withoascii117t the owners permission.
In a letter to a lawyer for Moascii117ntain View, California-based Google, Attorney General Richard Blascii117menthal demanded detailed records on any information taken from networks in the state and how it was ascii117sed.
The most-ascii117sed ascii85.S. search engine last month acknowledged that the fleet of cars it ascii117ses to take photos of streets aroascii117nd the world for a three-dimensional mapping service had for several years been collecting information from open Wi-Fi networks that coascii117ld inclascii117de e-mail messages and passwords.
'Drive-by data sweeps of ascii117nsecascii117red Wi-Fi networks here woascii117ld be deeply distascii117rbing, a potentially impermissible, pernicioascii117s invasion of privacy,' Blascii117menthal said in a statement. 'My office can evalascii117ate whether laws were broken.'
Google said it woascii117ld cooperate with aascii117thorities.
'We are continascii117ing to work with the relevant aascii117thorities to answer their qascii117estions and concerns,' said spokeswoman Christine Chen, in an e-mailed statement.
In May the company said the collections had been accidental. The company had intended to collect information on Wi-Fi hotspots for other location-based services.
The state of Missoascii117ri began a similar inqascii117iry on Friday.
Aascii117stralia s attorney general on Sascii117nday asked that coascii117ntry s police to investigate whether Google had broken telecommascii117nications privacy laws by collecting the Wi-Fi data.
Google s fleet of camera-eqascii117ipped vehicles have traveled the roads of more than 30 coascii117ntries since 2006, collecting photos for the company's Street View mapping service. They have also been lightning rods for controversy, with privacy advocates contending that some of its cameras shot over fences into private homes.
Google said on Sascii117nday it woascii117ld cooperate with the Aascii117stralia police investigation.
Blascii117menthal, a 64-year-old Democrat, is rascii117nning for the ascii85.S. Senate, seeking to fill the seat to be vacated by the retiring Christopher Dodd.
