The most recent debacle was when Google revealed that the company had collected information from Wi-Fi sites as the cars drove by. The information included so-called payload data that could include personal data and login passwords. Although Google had posted about the problem, the context was its operations in Europe. But now Google admits it vacuumed up data in the U.S., as well.

I realized that Google’s public comments on the story left unclear whether parts of the world other than Europe might have been affected. I asked Google whether what it did with Street View in Europe also occurred in the U.S. and if the company had intercepted and recorded data from Wi-Fi systems in this country. Here’s the answer I received from Jill Hazelbaker a director of corporate communications at Google:

    Hi Eric [sic], we mistakenly collected this data in the U.S. as well as everywhere we drive the street view cars. Thanks, Jill

 

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