As Google Hands Over Collected WiFi Data In Germany, France And Spain, Ireland Tells Google To Destroy It

from the mixed-messages dept

We recently covered how the data that Google collected via its Street View WiFi efforts was caught in this weird legal limbo, between privacy laws, data retention laws and rules about destroying evidence. However, it looks like that's getting settled... but in very different ways in different countries. Somehow, Google has worked out a way to hand over the data in Germany, France and Spain... but over in Ireland, Google has been ordered to destroy the data. Not quite sure how this squares with the privacy laws in Germany, France and Spain... but hopefully we'll find out that the data collected by this system was mostly meaningless and we can get over the hype surrounding this whole thing.
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Filed Under: data collection, data retention, europe, france, germany, ireland, privacy, spain, wifi
Companies: google


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  1. identicon
    NAMELESS ONE, 4 Jun 2010 @ 5:05pm

    WHERE is canada?

    .....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    some old guy, 4 Jun 2010 @ 5:31pm

    Re: WHERE is canada?

    north america

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Jun 2010 @ 6:14pm

    Re: WHERE is canada?

    Where you live, IIRC, unfortunately for Canada.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    R.H. (profile), 4 Jun 2010 @ 6:23pm

    Ireland has it right

    Ireland has the right idea here. If this data is so private then it shouldn't be handed to the government, it should be deleted with just enough oversight to make sure that there are no backups of it anywhere. If it's not private then what's the big deal? Don't bother Google about it let them do as they please.

    Now, I personally believe that they probably shouldn't have been network sniffing even on open networks. However, I don't believe that someone doing the equivalent of taking pictures through my window when I failed to close the drapes is doing anything illegal.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    drkkgt (profile), 4 Jun 2010 @ 7:04pm

    wake up call

    In reality, this should serve as a wake up call to users to secure their networks if they are truly worried about people sniffing their data.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Jun 2010 @ 7:16pm

    The only thing I can think of, is maybe Google is treating each nations data based on the court of said nation? So Germany gets the Germany data, while the Ireland data is destroyed? I am sure that would raise complaints, but that seems like the only way to deal with the conflicting demands/laws.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Trav, 4 Jun 2010 @ 8:10pm

    Suss

    Hmm Germany and the like want the Data? why do they want it? If it was illegally collected and a piracy concern, would not the government be just as guilty in receiving it? Did they ask Google to destroy their version when they hand the data over?

    Ireland has the right idea, all these other governments I am extremely suspicious of why they want the data, rather then it been destroyed.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Hephaestus (profile), 4 Jun 2010 @ 9:08pm

    Re: wake up call

    Who cares if people sniff your data. If you arent doing anything wrong you should not be worried.

    /sarc

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 4 Jun 2010 @ 11:16pm

    Re: Re: wake up call

    Yeah, it's not like I'm transmitting company confidential data through my wireless connection. Who would be dumb enough to do that?

    link to this | view in thread ]


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