Thursday, April 21, 2011

Privacy: Google Street View in the viewfinder of the Belgian justice

Google is being investigated by the Belgian courts for collecting private data with its "Street View" said, Thursday, April 21, the federal prosecution. "We received a complaint from the committee for protection of privacy and we opened an investigation," he told Agence France-Presse, a spokesman for the prosecutor, Eric Van der Sijpt, confirming a report in the Flemish daily De Morgen.

Launched in 2007, Google Street View provides panoramic views of streets, allowing users to virtually move around, but this service has triggered a series of controversies in several countries, including France, the Netherlands and Germany. In May 2010, Google revealed that the cars through the streets to take pictures had inadvertently collected personal data (emails and videos, etc.) transmitted by Wi-Fi in the street.

"We believe that Google has committed a flagrant violation the law on the protection of privacy, "said a commission official quoted by Morgen. Mea Culpa GOOGLE "We are sorry for having brought together, unintentionally, data from Wi-Fi networks unsecured. Once we realized what was happening, we have stopped the activity of our cars and Street View we informed the authorities, "Google responded Thursday Belgium.

"We have neither viewed nor used these data for products or services from Google. We are in contact with Belgian authorities and continue to answer all their questions, "the group. Google had used a similar argument when he had been questioned in France for the same reasons. The National Commission of computers and the freedoms it has, however, imposed a record fine of 100,000 euros in March.

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