Google to offer opt-out for WiFi tracking for wireless in EU

In response to requests from European data protection agencies, Google announced it will offer anyone who owns a WiFi access point to opt-out of being used to determine mobile users’ locations.

“Even though the wireless access point signals we use in our location services don't identify people, we think we can go further in protecting people’s privacy,” wrote Google’s Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer. “We are building an opt-out service that will allow an access point owner to opt out from Google's location services ... we'll be making this opt-out available globally, and we'll release more detailed information about it when it’s ready to launch later this autumn.”