Google hit by $7m Street View fine

[Bald Bouncer]

Personal data was collected from many countries

Google has agreed to pay a $7m (£4.6m) fine for collecting people's personal data without authorisation as part of its Street View service.

In a settlement with 38 US states, the internet giant agreed to destroy emails, passwords, and web histories.

The data was harvested from home wireless networks as Street View cars photographed neighbourhoods between 2008 and 2010.

Google said it was pleased to have resolved the issue.

"We work hard to get privacy right at Google. But in this case we didn't, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue," the firm said in a statement.

"The project leaders never wanted this data, and didn't use it or even look at it. We're pleased to have worked with Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen and the other state attorneys general to reach this agreement."

US Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the legal settlement.

"Consumers have a right to protect their vital personal and financial information from improper and unwanted use by corporations like Google," he said.

"This settlement addresses privacy issues and protects the rights of people whose information was collected without their permission."

Google claims it collected wi-fi data because of rogue code mistakenly included in the software.

The controversy led data authorities around the world to demand Google made changes.

Nick Pickles, head of UK privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said the US had handled the issue better than the UK.

"British regulators barely managed to slap Google on the wrist for this, so yet again British consumers seem to be left with weaker protection of their privacy than other countries," he said.

BBC News Technology

---

And in the UK the decided not to take action after the normal brown envelopes got passed over

[DJ OD]

"The project leaders never wanted this data, and didn't use it or even look at it. "

Yeah I bet.

Just as much as I bet they destroyed it. How would anyone know if they didn't?


DJ OD

[{{909}}]

So where exactly does the $7million go?

[hoponbaby]

UK should have slapped them with a £500 million fine, if the boot was on the other foot the US would - BP, Libor etc etc

[Rob]

whats $7 million when they just paid some of their execs $15 millions worth of bonuses!

[Mystical_2K]

Somehow i dont think they will give a fuck, see below:

Google chairman Eric Schmidt nets 6m cash bonus

Eric-Schmidt-008.jpg

Bonus awarded for year in which company reported record revenues of $50bn but came under fire for UK tax arrangements


Eric Schmidt: will receive payout on 15 March as reward for contribution to company in past financial year. Photograph: Murdo Macleod
Google has awarded its chairman, Eric Schmidt, a $6m (£4m) cash bonus for 2012 – a year when the company reported record revenues of $50bn but came under fire over its UK tax arrangements.


Schmidt will receive the $6m payout on 15 March as reward for his contribution to the company in the past financial year, Google said in a regulatory filing late on Tuesday.


Google confirmed that David Drummond, its chief legal officer, has also been awarded a $3.3m cash bonus. Patrick Pichette, Google's chief financial officer, and Nikesh Arora, chief business officer, will take home $2.8m in cash each.


The payouts were approved by Google's leadership development and compensation committee, which is chaired by former Intel chief executive Paul Otellini.


In January, Google reported its first ever $50bn year, with annual revenues up 36% year on year. The company posted a profit of $2.89bn in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from $2.71bn a year earlier.


But the bumper year was somewhat blighted in the UK as Google was one of a number of multinational companies, including Amazon and Starbucks, that came under fire from MPs over their tax arrangements.


Google lawfully used the tax haven of Bermuda for £6bn of transactions, while paying just £6m in corporation tax in the UK, in 2012.


Speaking in January this year, Schmidt said Google would abide by any tax changes imposed by the UK. "Our tax strategy is that whatever the tax regime, we would pay that," he said at a Cambridge University debate.

source

[burner1]

In a settlement with 38 US states, the internet giant agreed to destroy emails, passwords, and web histories.

The data was harvested from home wireless networks as Street View cars photographed neighbourhoods between 2008 and 2010.

What the hell software were they running to do that? I imagine it's a bit more slick than the latest Backtrack version, makes you wonder what sort of software could be out there in the wrong hands.

When I first read about this a while ago, if got me thinking of the TV Licensing Muppets and their so called 'detector vans'... wouldn't the same sort of invasion of privacy apply IF these detectors were actually real? Granted, such so called 'evidence' has never been use in a court lol.