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October 27, 2010, 12:27 PM EDT
By Jeff Bliss
(Updates with comment from Vladeck in third paragraph and Google apology in fifth paragraph.)
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission ended its investigation of Google Inc.?s collection of data over unsecured wireless networks after the company said it will improve privacy safeguards in its Street View mapping project.
The agency said the Mountain View, California-based company also agreed not to use the data, according to a letter today from David Vladeck, director of the FTC?s Bureau of Consumer Protection, to Albert Gidari, a lawyer for Google.
The company?s pledge not to include the information in any Google products ?is critical to mitigate the potential harm to consumers from the collection of payload data,? Vladeck wrote. ?Because of these commitments, we are ending our inquiry into this matter.?
Google, owner of the world?s most popular search engine, uses cars to photograph streets and houses to update Street View. The company admitted the cars also collected data from Wi- Fi networks, prompting an outcry by privacy advocates and lawmakers and spurring private lawsuits, European investigations and the FTC probe.
In an e-mailed message today, Google apologized for collecting the data. Prosecutors in Rome had opened an investigation into alleged violations of privacy law, Ansa newswire reported today. In May, German regulators began their own probe.
Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman of California and Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Republican Joe Barton of Texas have pressed Google to provide more details about the company?s collection of data from unsecured wireless networks.
--Editors: Jim Rubin, Laurie Asseo.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Bliss in Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in Washington at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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(Updates with comment from Vladeck in third paragraph and Google apology in fifth paragraph.)
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission ended its investigation of Google Inc.?s collection of data over unsecured wireless networks after the company said it will improve privacy safeguards in its Street View mapping project.
The agency said the Mountain View, California-based company also agreed not to use the data, according to a letter today from David Vladeck, director of the FTC?s Bureau of Consumer Protection, to Albert Gidari, a lawyer for Google.
The company?s pledge not to include the information in any Google products ?is critical to mitigate the potential harm to consumers from the collection of payload data,? Vladeck wrote. ?Because of these commitments, we are ending our inquiry into this matter.?
Google, owner of the world?s most popular search engine, uses cars to photograph streets and houses to update Street View. The company admitted the cars also collected data from Wi- Fi networks, prompting an outcry by privacy advocates and lawmakers and spurring private lawsuits, European investigations and the FTC probe.
In an e-mailed message today, Google apologized for collecting the data. Prosecutors in Rome had opened an investigation into alleged violations of privacy law, Ansa newswire reported today. In May, German regulators began their own probe.
Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman of California and Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Republican Joe Barton of Texas have pressed Google to provide more details about the company?s collection of data from unsecured wireless networks.
--Editors: Jim Rubin, Laurie Asseo.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Bliss in Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in Washington at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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