Canada Finds Google Violated Privacy Laws

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has found that Google violated Canadian privacy laws when the Internet firm collected personal information from unsecured Wi-Fi networks in that country.

Commissioner Stoddart launched the investigation earlier this year after Google revealed that its Street View cars, which take street-level photos for Google's mapping service, had mistakenly also collected personal information from unsecured Wi-Fi networks in Canada and other countries including the United States. Several U.S. state attorneys general also have launched probes of the Wi-Fi incidents. "Our investigation shows that Google did capture personal information - and, in some cases, highly sensitive personal information such as complete e-mails," said Commissioner Stoddart. "This incident was a serious violation of Canadians' privacy rights." In addition to complete e-mails, Commissioner Stoddard said her office's probe also found that Google's Street View cars collected e-mail addresses, usernames and passwords, names and residential telephone numbers and postal addresses.