CNet is reporting that while attempting to make a complete list of
Wi-Fi access points,
Google has also recorded (and in some cases, released) a glut of
personal location information with their
Street View mapping cars. This comes after previous reports supporting the claim, and a hefty 100,000 euro ($143,000) fine from the French
Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) for gathering unique identifiers for Wi-Fi-enabled hardware.
Google's stated goal was, in addition to mapping the roads of the world, to provide a complete list of Wi-Fi access points. This data could be used for a variety of purposes, from helping weary travelers find easy-to-use Internet connections to aiding completely lost travelers with psuedo-GPS. In an interesting twist, this was the same goal
Apple purported to during their own user location data scandal. The difference is that Google seems to have recorded unique identifiers of computers, phones, and other Wi-Fi enabled devices along with Wi-Fi hotspots.
Before you bust out the torches, pitchforks, wetsuits, and tridents and march off to Mountain View, CA., let's put this in perspective.
Read on...
