Google - 24 October '10
Google has admitted that it 'accidentally' collected personal data during its 'Street View' project.
A brief summary of the data loss is shown below:
Google
24 October 2010
Internet users
Emails and passwords
The data was 'accidentally' captured from unsecured wi-fi hotspots for years as its Street View cars captured images of street scenes.
The revelation follows an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) earlier in the year. Google has since admitted that personal information was captured from private wi-fi networks, prompting further action from the ICO.
Googles Senior Vice president stated, "It's clear from those [external] inspections that while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire e-mails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords. We want to delete this data as soon as possible and I would like to apologise again for the fact that we collected it in the first place."
An ICO spokesperson stated, "We will be making enquires to see whether this information relates to the data inadvertently captured in the UK, before deciding on the necessary course of action, including a consideration of the need to use our enforcement powers."
On 29 October 2010 it was revealed that Google had also revealed the location of a refuge, which houses women and children who have fled abusive homes. An MP claimed Google had compromised the security of the building by publicising its full address alongside a picture of the exterior, and had refused to remove the information.
A Google spokesperson responded by stating, "Anyone can request an image for removal from Street View using our simple 'report a problem'. When they do we remove the image quickly. We have removed sensitive locations in the past and are happy to do so."
