July 9th, 2010 
cyberiqro The Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, has completed her investigation into Google’s Wi-Fi spying bungle and found the company breached the Privacy Act.
Photo.red – In this Aug. 7, 2009 file photo Google employee Arthur Poirier, on a camera-equipped tricycle, records images for Googles Street View Maps in Paris, Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. Google Inc. issued an apology Friday May 14, 2010, acknowledging it has been vacuuming up and recording fragments of peoples online activities broadcast over public Wi-Fi networks in many countries while expanding its street mapping feature. The German minister for consumer protection Ilse Aigner criticized Google on Saturday, May 15, saying the U.S. Internet giant still lacks an understanding of the need for privacy, calling it an “alarming incident” happening apparently illegally over some years.
Authorities all over the world are investigating Google, including the Australian privacy watchdog and Australian Federal Police, for sucking up 600GB of “payload data” from unsecured wireless networks over several years while taking pictures for its Street View mapping service.
The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, described the move as deliberate and labelled it the “single greatest breach in the history of privacy”.
“On the information available I am satisfied that any collection of personal information would have breached the Australian Privacy Act,” said Curtis.
“Collecting personal information in these circumstances is a very serious matter. Australians should reasonably expect that private communications remain private.”
But Curtis said the Act did not empower her to impose any sanctions on Google. Instead, the company has given her an undertaking that it will:
- Conduct a “Privacy Impact Assessment” on any new Street View data collection activities in Australia that include personal information.
- Provide a copy of these PIA’s to her office.
- Regularly consult with the Australian Privacy Commissioner about personal data collection activities arising from significant product launches in Australia.
Google has also today published an apology on its official blog.
“To be clear, we did not want and have never used any payload data in our products or services – and as soon as we discovered our error, we announced that we would stop collecting all WiFi data via our Street View vehicles and removed all WiFi reception equipment from them,” the company wrote.
The undertakings given to the Privacy Commissioner will last for three years. Curtis said they “will ensure Google’s future products have privacy protections built in rather than bolted on”.
It is understood that the AFP’s separate investigation into whether Google breached the Telecommunications Interception Act is still ongoing.
The Australian Law Reform Commission’s recent inquiry into privacy laws recommended that the Privacy Commissioner be given more powers to penalise organisations for privacy abuses. The government has yet to adopt these recommendations.
as KOMPAS.com reported.
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