
May 19, 2010 Right about now Facebook should be sending Google a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates, because the search/advertising giant has committed a privacy violation that makes Facebook's recent troubles seem trivial. The skinny: Google has been Hoovering up data from open WiFi networks around the world -- some 600 gigs' worth, according to the AP -- which is tantamount to wiretapping and may well violate federal and international laws. Now that I've got your attention, here's some background. When Google sends its fleet of camera-equipped cars into the streets to snap pictures of your neighborhood for its Street View product, these cars are also collecting something a little extra: The name and unique MAC address of every open WiFi network they encounter along the way. http://www.pcworld.com/article/196630/google_has_been_snooping_on_your_wirel...