Google fined for gathering online data

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Gargamel

But what's unfair about it, the dominant position I mean. IF you are offering a service that helps locate Wifi services, the best way to do it is to drive down the damn street and look for wifi! If the competition thinks it's unfair, let them drive everywhere gathering that data. Leave the personal info and passwords out, but gather the location data. If somebody is broadcasting a signal in their neighborhood, secured or not, it's existence is public knowledge. There are no secret wifi sites.

The thing is that Google didn't only scan for wifi networks, but they also recorded the traffic of them. This collection of data without consent is illegal here.
The same happened in Germany, but I expect that Google won't be fined here by our corporate-bowing jurisdiction.

[Catfish]

While we are at it, who will fine Google, Youtube and others for censorship on the net ?
Thy use IP adresses for letting you see this, and not that. They have done this in China voluntarily and so supported the regime, and they are now doing this all over the world

[UnderseaLcpl]

“This is a significant case because it sends a powerful message that the CNIL is serious about enforcement and is willing to use its enhanced authority.”

Spoken like a true regulator. He's going to eat those words if he presses the issue and google decides to regulate the regulators or regulate itself right out of France. I think France has sent enough "powerful" regulatory messages to the private sector, as evidenced by how well they regulated themselves into comparative economic obscurity.

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by Penguin

The thing is that Google didn't only scan for wifi networks, but they also recorded the traffic of them. This collection of data without consent is illegal here.
The same happened in Germany, but I expect that Google won't be fined here by our corporate-bowing jurisdiction.

Then fine them for that, which I agree with. What's ON a secure server is supposed to be secure from legit sources. The fact that it exists is not secure.

But don't fine them for, and accuse them of gaining an unfair advantage in location services. That's just dumb.