France’s data privacy regulator, known in France as CNIL (Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés), said has fined Google 100,000 euros for collecting private information while compiling its panoramic Street View service.
It is one of the highest fines that the CNIL, the National Commission for Information Freedom, has inflicted since the watchdog obtained the power in 2004 to impose financial sanctions in 2004.
When Google launched its Street View service, which provides panoramic views of city streets,it sparked a controversy over privacy.
Things were made worse when Google admitted in 2010 that its specially equipped cars taking the photographs were also picking up Wi-Fi data and had inadvertently captured unencrypted private data including passwords and e-mails.
The regulator said this was “unfair collection” of information under French law and Google had received economic benefits from the data.
Original article by CNIL (in French) can be found here.
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