Lawmakers Ask FTC To Look Into Google's WiFi Data Collection

Google is facing continuing fallout in the U.S. and abroad from its recent admission that its Street View cars inadvertently collected "payload" data from WiFi networks.

On Wednesday, two lawmakers asked the Federal Trade Commission to state whether it is investigating Google for gathering WiFi users' data. And earlier this week, residents of Oregon and Washington filed a potential class-action lawsuit against the company for allegedly violating their privacy. In Germany, the authorities are demanding that Google turn over the information it gathered so they can investigate the extent of the company's data collection.

A Google spokesperson said only: "We are working with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns."

The firestorm started late last week, when Google said in a blog post that its Street View cars in Europe and the U.S. not only collected information about networks and their addresses, but also gathered the data transmitted over WiFi networks. The company said it collected the payload data by mistake, has never used the data, and will destroy it. But privacy advocates and regulators are calling for a full investigation.

In the U.S., Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) asked the FTC to respond to a host of questions, including whether Google's data collection violated federal law or was unfair or deceptive to consumers.

"Do Google's data collection practices with respect to WiFi networks violate the public's reasonable expectation of privacy?" they ask. "Did Google collect passwords associated with Internet usage by customers?"

They asked the FTC to respond by June 2.

Meanwhile, two WiFi users sued Google for allegedly violating federal privacy laws. The plaintiffs, Vicki Van Valin of Oregon and Neil Mertz of Washington, allege that they transmitted a host of information over their WiFi networks, including their credit card data and medical information.

"Users had an expectation of privacy with respect to the payload data," they allege.

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