News Report

Wyatt, Edward. "F.C.C. Investigates Google Street View." NewYorkTimes.com. The New York Times Company, 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

The Federal Communications Commission announced that it would be investigating Google for violating laws when collecting data for it’s new Street View project. The Street View project began in 2007 and was designed to add street pictures to Google’s mapping services. It does this by collecting images from cars that use cameras to collect images and link them to GPS data. According to Michele Ellison chief of the F.C.C’s enforcement bureau Google’s cars have collected emails, password, and other personal information from unsuspecting people everywhere. Recently the cars also began recording information about WIFI networks, which can help mobile devices find the locations. Google took this a little further by recording the data that was being sent over these networks. Google says that once they noticed what was happening they quit and informed the authorities and that they are deeply sorry and have not and will not use any of the data they collected. The inquiry by the trade commission was halted by Google’s assurances that they would not use the data and that they are improving their privacy protections. Privacy advocates, who asked Google to disclose why and how the information was collected in the first place, were angered by this decision. Other countries will be or already have investigated Google as well.
I find this article to be really interesting. I would be outrage if I found out Google had some of my information. I think that Google should have monitored what their cars where recording more closely. They should also have restrictions in place about what the cars can record or are equipped to record. A simple apology is not going to make people whose information they have happy.