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Google can be sued for Street View Wi-Fi snooping

A federal judge isn't letting Google off the hook when it comes to the lawsuits accusing the search giant of using their Street View cars to illegally gather information.
Written by Matt Weinberger, Contributor

A federal judge isn't letting Google off the hook when it comes to the class-action lawsuits accusing the search giant of using their Street View cars to illegally gather information from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, according to an Associated Press report.

Since this controversy started in May 2010, Google's argument has always been that they didn't use the 600GB or so that their Street View cars inadvertently collected, and that any unsecured information transmitted over the air is fair game besides.

But now U.S. District Court Judge James Ware has ruled that wireless Internet data is every bit as protected as cell phone conversations, which means that Google's plea for dismissal is denied and any lawsuit against the company on the grounds of privacy invasion can go forward.

In November, Google was slapped on the wrist by the UK for this same issue. But here at home, these class-action lawsuits are just another legal battle for Google to deal with, amidst an FTC probe into its business practices and 1plusV's antitrust accusations.

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