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標題: Google grabs personal info off of Wi-Fi networks [打印本頁]

作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-16 00:37 標題: Google grabs personal info off of Wi-Fi networks

Google grabs personal info off of Wi-Fi networks

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Go ... p;asset=&ccode=

Google acknowledges collecting snippets of people's online activities broadcast over Wi-Fi

Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer, On Friday May 14, 2010, 7:44 pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google Inc. has been vacuuming up fragments of people's online activities broadcast over public Wi-Fi networks for the past four years, a breach of Web etiquette likely to raise more privacy worries about the Internet search leader.

Even Google was troubled by its behavior, and issued a public apology Friday. The company said it only recently discovered the problem in response to an inquiry from German regulators.

"Maintaining people's trust is crucial to everything we do, and in this case we fell short," Alan Eustace, Google's top engineering executive, wrote in a blog post.

Google characterized its collection of snippets from e-mails and Web surfing done on public Wi-Fi networks as a mistake, and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence. About 600 gigabytes of data was taken off of the Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. Google plans to delete it all as soon as it gains clearance from government authorities.

None of the information has appeared in Google's search engine or other services, according to Eustace.

Nevertheless, Google's decision to hold on to the Wi-Fi data until it hears back from regulators shows the company realizes it could face legal repercussions. At the very least, company officials concede that snooping on Wi-Fi networks, however inadvertent, crossed an ethical line.

"We are acutely aware that we failed badly here," Eustace wrote.

Google's contrition may not be enough to allay growing concerns about whether the company can be trusted with the vast storehouse of personal information that it has gathered through its search engine, e-mail and other services.

Fears that Google is morphing into a real-life version of "Big Brother" has spurred previous privacy complaints, as well as pleas for more stringent regulation of the company.

Consumer Watchdog, a group that has become one of Google's most outspoken critics, renewed its call for a regulatory crackdown Friday.

"Once again, Google has demonstrated a lack of concern for privacy," said Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson. "Its computer engineers run amok, push the envelope and gather whatever data they can until their fingers are caught in the cookie jar."

The Wi-Fi data was sucked up while Google expanded a mapping feature called "Street View" that also has pressed privacy hot buttons. Street View provides photographs of neighborhoods taken by Google cameras that have sometimes captured people doing things they didn't want to be seen doing, or in places where they didn't want to be seen.

As it set out to photograph neighborhoods around the world, Google equipped its vehicles with antenna as well as cameras so it could create a database with the names of Wi-Fi networks and the coding of Wi-Fi routers.

What Google didn't know, Eustace said, is that some experimental software was being used in the Street View project, and that programming picked up the Web surfing on publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks if the company's vehicles were within range of the signal.

Google only gathered small bits of information because its vehicles were on the move and its tracking equipment switched channels five times a second.

The incident has prompted Google to abandon its effort to collect Wi-Fi network data. In an apparent show of its commitment to privacy, Google also said it will introduce a new option next week that will allow its users to encrypt searches on its Web site as an added protection against unauthorized snooping.

作者: mcjohnjohn 時間: 2010-5-16 02:28

都只係capture 左d unencrypt 既wifi channel 既traffic 之麻.
用得unencrypt channel, 就預左唔可以send 一d sensitive 既野, 我相信Google 都唔會capture 到好多野架jel.

作者: tofu 時間: 2010-5-16 17:50

you are concerning privacy, no way. i thought you love our great country to check all our messages wor.

plus common sense, wifi is not secured.

作者: mukmuk2 時間: 2010-5-16 20:36

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作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-17 00:44

you are concerning privacy, no way. i thought you love our great country to check all our messages ...
tofu 發表於 2010-5-16 17:50

These days our great countries in North America can intercept any phone calls or internet message, because they want to prevent another attack.

作者: mcjohnjohn 時間: 2010-5-17 00:52

These days our great countries in North America can intercept any phone calls or internet message, ...
peter236 發表於 2010-5-17 16:44

Peter 仔, 小弟對大中華防火牆(Great Firewall)既能力好有興趣, 可唔可以提供多d 資料比我參考?

作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-17 00:55

Peter 仔, 小弟對大中華防火牆(Great Firewall)既能力好有興趣, 可唔可以提供多d 資料比我參考? ...
mcjohnjohn 發表於 2010-5-17 00:52

MJJ, you are computer security expert, maybe you have more knowledge of this thing.

作者: mcjohnjohn 時間: 2010-5-17 01:07

MJJ, you are computer security expert, maybe you have more knowledge of this thing.
peter236 發表於 2010-5-17 16:55

冇可能知得多過你啦!
你話哂都係LYK 既中方代表, 你一定同高幹有聯繫, 話唔定你認識少國內資訊科技專家啦!
介紹兩三個黎識啦, 唔好咁辜行啦, Peter 仔~

作者: mukmuk2 時間: 2010-5-17 06:16

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作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-17 11:03

本帖最後由 peter236 於 2010-5-17 11:09 編輯

They could and did they? China government even asked visitors to put software onto their laptop w ...
mukmuk2 發表於 2010-5-17 06:16

Of course they did, this is how they prevent another attack in North America.

See here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/news/2006/intell-060101-voa01.htm

作者: mukmuk2 時間: 2010-5-17 11:10

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作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-17 11:16

when did North American attack China? The way China government controls was that they do not want a ...
mukmuk2 發表於 2010-5-17 11:10

I am talking about North American government intercepting phone calls as one of the ways to prevent another terrorist atttack.

作者: mukmuk2 時間: 2010-5-17 11:58

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作者: news 時間: 2010-5-17 13:36

another good example to not do anything sensitive when you are using public wi-fi

作者: peter236 時間: 2010-5-17 14:31

本帖最後由 peter236 於 2010-5-17 14:33 編輯

whether this is still going on or not, you cannot deny the fact China did invade the privacy too. ...
mukmuk2 發表於 2010-5-17 11:58

I never denied what the Chinese government did on the internet. They also need to deal with terrorists from Xinjiang. I don't understand why you are so fixated on the Chinese.
But this thread is about Google violating privacy of the people.

作者: mukmuk2 時間: 2010-5-17 15:25

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