Google has not only the mac addresses of wi-fi access points with its Street View cars; also that of the client devices were stored. That reports Cnet. Until the end of June were this data available to the public.
According to Cnet picked the Street View cars of Google the mac addresses of the client devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, and these were accessible via the internet. This could be viewed with the locations where a mac address was associated. In a test by Cnet showed that approximately 10 percent of the tested mac addresses a valid location rendered. The French privacy watch dog has told Cnet confirmed that the mac addresses of clients are included.
Google collects the mac addresses and locations of wi-fi access points to more accurate positioning; it is unclear why it is also the mac addresses of devices that only connect through wi-fi are picked up. An explanation would be that these devices for wi-fi tethering were used, whereby the device as a wi-fi access point serves. Google in a statement to know that that’s the reason why the devices were registered.
Cnet notes, however, to have spoken with users who do not have wi-fi tethering used, and of those phones were registered. Until the end of June, the data was also accessible to the public: users could have a mac address and got a location back. Google has, according to Cnet in the meantime measures to prevent it.
Google came earlier in time with Street View. The Street View cars of the company, driving around to take pictures of the surrounding area and wi-fi networks to map, gathered mistakenly information over unsecured networks was sent, such as e-mails and passwords. Also got Google of the Dutch College Bescherming Persoonsgegevens, a tap on the fingers, because the unauthorized collection of locations and mac addresses of an infringement on the privacy would be. Google is to the right stepped.
