State to Receive $147,000 Settlement From Google
Internet search company alleged to have collected data from unsecured wireless networks while taking photos for Street View application.
New Jersey will be on the receiving end of a $147,000 share of a $7 million pool Google agreed to pay as part of a settlement to resolve allegations the Internet search company improperly collected private data during mapping for its Street View product, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday.
According to the NorthJersey.com report, Google was alleged to have collected data from unsecured wireless networks while it was taking photos for the online application between 2008 and 2010.
The company deployed cars equipped with antennae and software to collect network identification information for use in future services that tracked users’ locations. Google acknowledged, as part of the settlement, that information it collected may have included specific web page information and e-mail communications being transmitted while the vehicles were driving by. The company has said it didn’t know personal data was being collected.
“This settlement is significant because it recognizes the privacy rights of individuals whose information was collected by Google without their permission,” New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said via a statement. “This is a fair resolution of the states’ complaints, and should send a message to the industry about the importance of respecting the privacy of consumers.”
“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,” Google said in a statement, noting the project wasn’t searching for this type of data and didn’t use it for any projects.
William Mays
8:01 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Damn, $147k. Maybe they can put a down payment on a new helicopter for Christie now.
EC
9:51 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
And I'm betting none of that will end up going to the residents from whom the information was actually collected!
SaintCloud
11:29 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
<rant> on
It's not about the $$. $147K is a fraction of what Google, Inc drops between the sofa cushions when it dozes off for a 30-minute nap on a Sunday afternoon. $147K to Google is a small joke. $147K divided equally among those affected wouldn't buy each of them a latte at Starbucks.
That "inadvertent" eavesdropping is the least of your problems. Did you ever stop to think that when a product is "free" (think sites like Google and Facebook) that YOU *are* the product. These corporations track and bubble you whenever you visit. Google saves all of your searches in a big, honkin' database (along with your IP address), slices and dices that data, and sells it to other corporations (or to the government). It is *your* sale-able data that is the real product. That database contains shocking amounts of personal data about you tied your IP address. Google gets you even if you never visit google.com directly. Pay attention to the status bar at the bottom of your browser window - notice on how many sites you'll see something like "transferring data from googlesyndication".or something similar.
</rant> paused
Nose Wayne
12:58 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Now you all NOSE where that saying came from "Ever have the feeling you were being watched?"
BillBalls
2:52 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
No worries man. The drones that overflew your house last night know all that stuff, plus your wife's favorite position!
Wake Up America. Homeland security is buying 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition, (enough to fuel the Iran war for 20 years) and 3,000 armored troop carriers. What do they know?
All this under a President who got the Noble Peace Award!
William Mays
8:40 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Oh no, maybe we should start building our bunkers now.
Rusty Cut
9:32 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Someone has been listening to too much Alex Jones radio.