Google has come under fire from the US government over claims that it collected personal data from wi-fi networks.
In a damning report, the Federal Communications Commission found that the search giant knew that the camera cars of its Street View project were retrieving and storing information from unsuspecting households.
The FCC report details how between 2007 and 2010, Google Street View cars, which were photographing thousands of streets, also accessed the browsing histories, text messages and personal emails of people on unsecured wi-fi networks.
After German regulators revealed the practice, Google grounded all its Street View cars but refused to show authorities what kind of data it had collected, citing user privacy concerns.
In the UK, the Information Commissioner’s office asked Google to delete the information.
At the conclusion of the US investigation, Google was fined £15,300 for obstructing the inquiry but was not found guilty of breaking any laws. Experts have called for further investigation and tighter regulation.
Google had previously said that the data harvesting was a “mistake” and vowed that it would never be used.
Its spokesman said: “We hope that we can now put this matter behind us.”
