Don’t destroy WiFi data, Google ordered

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/40034

Google has already refused to answer requests from German regulators to hand over data improperly collected from unsecured home WiFi networks by its Street View vehicles — at least, not before it’s resolved “legal issues”.

Will it say the same to Oregon judge judge Michael Mosman?

“Google has received a writ from Vicki Van Valin and Neil Mertz as part of a class action that their privacy was violated by Street View vehicles picking up data from open wireless internet connections used at home”, said p2pnet recently, quoting Bloomberg News.

“They also want a court to prevent Google from destroying the data that’s been collected”, says the story, adding, ” The case launched in an Oregon district court. The plaintiffs allege Google using its fleet of specially adapted vehicles captured data using 3G/GSM/wi-fi antennas and captured their data using a packet sniffer.”

Now Mosman has issued a restraining ordering Google not to destroy data its Street View cars recorded from private WiFi networks.

Google has also been told to “duplicate the data and hand over the copy to the Federal District Court in Oregon”, says Business Insider.

“Federal class actions in Washington and San Francisco joined German regulators in complaining that while Google sent vehicles all over world to take photos for maps, it was ’surreptitiously collecting private information’ from unguarded Wi-Fi networks”, says the Courthouse News Service, going on >>>

The class in DC Federal Court claims Google made the intercepted information available to its vendors and contractors.

In Washington, the class demands statutory and punitive damages for violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

The District of Columbia class claims “Google admitted that its street view vehicles throughout the world were actually capturing … data consisting of all or part of any documents, e-mails, video, audio and VOIP information being sent over the wireless Internet’,” says the story, adding:

“The class seeks damages up to $10,000 per violation, punitive damages, and want [sic] Google enjoined from destroying the personal data it has collected.”

"Google made the intercepted information available to its vendors and contractors"

It seems there's more to this story than at first appeared.