Oopsie! Google ''Accidentally'' Collected WiFi Data

[JMcEntegart]

Google today revealed in a blog post that the company's street view cars had been accidentally collecting data from open WiFi networks.

Oopsie! Google ''Accidentally'' Collected WiFi Data : Read more

 

[chickenhoagie]

yeah..finally caught and now they decide to call it a mistake. but it was only from non-secured wifi. anyone can get info off that so who cares. I guess if you don't want people carelessly taking your network info then its a good idea to use a bit of security encryption! Derrrr.

 

[socrates047]

this doesn't really bother me cause lets be realistic if google want to fuck u over u think ur wifi password is gonna stop them. I'll just let the paranoid people take this one.

 

[NeeKo]

All of them collect data about us, its how they make money!

 

[descendency]

I kan has ur deytuh?

 

[Kelavarus]

I'm still slightly confused as to how this seems so 'bad' when anyone could do it to any network if they were close enough...

 

[leafblower29]

I call BS.

 

[zybch]

Anyone one else just plain not trust Google anymore? This combined with them keeping your search (and advertising) data for 3 years is just plain creepy.
Also, it pays to remember that EVEN IF your wifi is secured, google still recorded the MAC address of your router.

 

[eddieroolz]

Interesting. So they did collect it after all.

Which means my Google has my network's SSID as well...

 

[proxy711]

[citation][nom]zybch[/nom]Anyone one else just plain not trust Google anymore? This combined with them keeping your search (and advertising) data for 3 years is just plain creepy.Also, it pays to remember that EVEN IF your wifi is secured, google still recorded the MAC address of your router.[/citation]
Doesn't bother me one bit. have fun with my router info...i mean really what can they even do with / or would want to do with that data? steal my bandwidth? they're google they don't need to do that.

 

[myrddral]

this is a good lesson for everyone to encrypt their connection and to use a password.
i could do the same and noone could blame me bacause they are BROADCASTING and VOLUNTARILY sharing their data. there's a choice that makes a big difference.

 

[beayn]

[citation][nom]eddieroolz[/nom]Interesting. So they did collect it after all. Which means my Google has my network's SSID as well...[/citation]

So do all your neighbors. Who cares? They can't do anything with it, nor do they even know it's yours. I pick up SSIDs all the time, no idea who they belong to.

 

[Dirtman73]

I laugh at those of you who still trust Google. Ha Ha Ha!!!

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]chickenhoagie[/nom]yeah..finally caught and now they decide to call it a mistake. but it was only from non-secured wifi. anyone can get info off that so who cares. I guess if you don't want people carelessly taking your network info then its a good idea to use a bit of security encryption! Derrrr.[/citation]Your statement is a contradiction. If public wi-fi is open and ANYONE can retrieve data from it then it would be safe to assume a search engine GIANT using the latest and greatest hardware might have access to sampling some of this useless data (from ignorant individuals) without even knowing it. Who cares? They messed up. Bruce Lee once said, "If you ask me if I am a good martial artist and I tell you yes, then you will think I am boasting. If I tell you NO, then you would think I was telling a lie"...

 

[yao]

still don't know what payload data is..

 

[Guest]

When a company harvest private data then publish it for profit it not only break the law but also indecent. It looks like Google will do anything it feel like to make money until it got caught. An apology will be good enough from the richest company on earth.

 

[Guest]

"yeah..finally caught and now they decide to call it a mistake."
Only they weren't actually caught by anyone but themselves but still went public with it and asked for a third-party review of the handling.

Can you think of any company that would do the same under similar circumstances? Neither can I.

The Google fright is vastly overrated and entirely unjustified, at least on a factual basis. Google no doubt has the means to screw us over royally with the kind of information they are sitting on, yet we get news pieces like these when they openly admit to mistakes, apologize and ask for outside review.

Would you prefer they kept us in the dark, lied to us and secretly abused any and all information instead?

 

[hairystuff]

Google is taking War Driving to another level.

 

[bv90andy]

I don't know why router software doesn't just disable ssid publication after a setup was run... it's useless and dangerous

 

[ksampanna]

[citation][nom]raysimlee[/nom]When a company harvest private data then publish it for profit it not only break the law but also indecent. It looks like Google will do anything it feel like to make money until it got caught. An apology will be good enough from the richest company on earth.[/citation]

How is Google the richest company in earth?