• BBC, Friday, July 9, 2010 10:43 AM

Google's Street View service may have accidentally collected personal information of members of Congress, including some involved in national security issues, claims Consumer Watchdog. The advocacy group therefore wants Congress to hold hearings into what data Google's Street View possesses, reports BBC News.

"Google admitted it mistakenly collected information, transmitted over unsecured wireless networks, as its cars filmed locations for mapping purposes," reports BBC. "Google said the problem began in 2006." The issue became apparent when German authorities asked to audit the data. Google said the snippets of data could include parts of emails, text, photographs, or even the Web site someone might be viewing. "We think the Google Wi-Spy effort is one of the biggest wire tapping scandals in US history," John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog tells BBC News.

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