The German government policy is among those who have been most critical of Google Street Map. Now, the federal commissioner for data protection and freedom of speech, Peter Schaar, has been given recently that Google's Street View vehicles do not just photograph people and property, but also maps the WLAN zones in areas where the cars are moving around.
The German authorities privacy writes in a press release that after what they see, saves Google both encryption status, MAC address (Media Access Control) and WLAN zone Identifier (SSID) in each case. The authorities are especially critical because individuals often use their own name as the SSID.
The press release says Professor Dr. Johannes Caspar, privacy ombudsman in Hamburg, that Google's approach is unacceptable, and that this in no time has been a part of the conversations that have been held about Google Street View. He demanded the immediate removal of those scanners and that Google only allowed to continue shooting if the company back under the terms contained in the agreement from June 2009.
- I am appalled by what purpose these trips have had without the knowledge of third parties. I urge Google to remove the illegal personal information it has previously collected. Our privacy standards must be followed, Google!, "Said Schaar in the press release.
It seems that Schaar and his colleagues have followed a little bad with every hour. WLAN cartography, which technique is often called, is by no means something new. Neither in Germany.
In Spiegel Online says a representative of Google, Kay Oberbeck that the collection of the WLAN data is not something new, and not only be done by Google.
- This type of data has been collected by various companies, including German, for several years. We have always talked openly about the fact that Google collects this information in several different ways.
Oberbeck said that it is all data that can identify individuals, the data is anonymous and that the acquisition is legal.
Spiegel Online writes that among other things, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits have made similar registration - albeit on a smaller scale. It was objected to this project, but these did not succeed.
More comprehensive, data collection for the Skyhook Wireless to be. This company has, according to Spiegel Online recorded more than 80 million WLAN zones globally. The company has offered software for location determination based on the registration of radio signals and mobile phone masts. It should not have been public criticism of this solution.
On this page is areas where Skyhook has detected WLAN zones.
According to Spiegel Online, there has not been determined by any court in Germany whether MAC addresses, which in principle should be unique identifiers for individual network interfaces are to be regarded as personal data.
