http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10161393.stm
"Google has not handed over sensitive data requested by German
authorities, despite a deadline of 26 May. Dr Johannes Caspar, the
Information Commissioner for Hamburg, Germany, told BBC News that there
was "no sign" of the requested hard disk The firm has until midnight to
hand over data harvested by its Street View cars from private wi-fi
networks."
We've just bought Ashampoo's latest burning studio, and I wondered where
in Oldenburg, Germany it was sited. I only had the director's names, so
on Google Earth I entered Oldenburg and one name. Before I could blink
it brought up four Ashampoo connected sites, including the main one. I
noticed there were no streetview links anywhere in Germany, and wondered
why.
I googled "germany google street view" and got a number of interesting
sites to visit. The wi-fi trick had been going on there too, and they
had been downloading information from unsecured wireless networks for years.
http://www.newstatesman.com/digital/2010/05/street-view-google-cars-data
'However, the disclosure that Google's cars had also recorded
communications sent over unsecured wireless networks in people's homes
has alarmed privacy advocates and regulatory authorities. Although the
company argued it has collected only the same data that was publicly
available to anyone in the street with a Wi-Fi device, authorities have
termed the explanation "highly unusual" and called for a detailed probe.'
http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2010/05/16/german-officials-angered-by-google-street-view-data-collection/
"So everything was a simple oversight, a software error! …The data was
collected and stored against the will of the project’s managers and
other managers at Google. If we follow this logic further, this means:
The software was installed and used without being properly tested
beforehand. Billions of bits of data were mistakenly collected, without
anyone in Google noticing it, including Google’s own internal data
protection managers, who two weeks ago were defending to us the
company’s internal data protection practices. . . . If a user decides to
leave their network unencrypted, then just about anyone could get some
data from the wireless network. This is exactly why Wi-Fi router
manufacturers have been urging users to put encryption on their devices.
Leaving a wireless network unencrypted means that you are broadcasting
your Wi-Fi connection to anyone in the vicinity.'
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/02/23/google-rejects-german-street-view-concerns
By moving ahead, Google may be risking a government-backed lawsuit - or
even new legislation - and a victory or loss could have a huge effect on
how other countries respond to Street View in the future.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190583/google_hopes_to_launch_german_street_view_this_year.html
Germans can write to Google to ask to have their house excluded from the
Street View database. "We have received letters from over 1,000 people
since June 2009," Wagner said. ... German data protection authorities
have only asked for an opt-out process, without a way for people to opt
back in to having their homes displayed in Street View, said Jones. "If
you buy a house, and the previous owner opted out, then your house will
be blurry forever," he said.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9133309/Google_Street_View_hits_privacy_gridlock_in_Germany
Rowena
--
The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver.
Rules and Instructions: http://www.silverlist.org
Unsubscribe:
<mailto:silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com?subject=unsubscribe>
Archives:
http://www.mail-archive.com/silver-list@eskimo.com/maillist.html
Off-Topic discussions: <mailto:silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com>
List Owner: Mike Devour <mailto:mdev...@eskimo.com>
