UK Orders Google to Delete Data

The Information Commissioner's Office, which oversees data privacy in the UK, said that it had served Google with an enforcement notice over the collection of payload data by its Street View cars in the UK.

The data, including email addresses, URLs and passwords relating to thousands of individuals, was collected through wireless networks as part of Google's street-mapping service. Stephen Eckersley, head of enforcement at the ICO, said the notice "strengthens the action already taken by our office, placing a legal requirement on Google to delete the remaining payload data identified last year within the next 35 days and immediately inform the ICO if any further disks are found." "Failure to abide by the notice will be considered as contempt of court, which is a criminal offense," he said. A Google spokesperson said it "cooperated fully with the ICO throughout its investigation, and having received its order this morning we are proceeding with our plan to delete the data."