French Privacy Watchdog Calls for Google Wi-Spy Data

France’s privacy watchdog, the Commission Nationale de L’informatique et Des Libertes (CNIL), has joined the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in calling for the Wi-Spy data that Google admitted not deleting.

CNIL said that Google informed several European privacy agencies last week that it still had some of the data that its Street View cars acquired from private wireless networks in 2010.

It fined Google €100,000 (£79,000) in March 2011 and the search giant informed CNIL that it had proceeded to delete the data in June of that year.

Google Wi-Spy data

CNIL has previously expressed its concerns about Google’s new privacy policy and called for talks to determine whether or not it violated European law.

Google wrote to the ICO last week admitting the error and said that it was fully committed to working with the watchdog. It asked for guidance from the ICO, which responded by calling for the delivery of the data immediately, calling it a “cause for concern” and suggesting that Google’s failure to delete it could be a breach of the undertaking it signed in November 2010.

The ICO re-opened its investigation into the Wi-Fi slurping case in June after the US Federal Communications Commission found that not only did the engineer who created the code inform colleagues what he was doing, but also that the Street View cars collected more data than previously thought.

Google first admitted that it had collected the personal information in 2010, but the ICO initially cleared the company in July 2010, concluding that the data was free of any “meaningful details.”

Do you know all of Google’s secrets? Take our quiz and test your knowledge.

Steve McCaskill

Steve McCaskill is editor of TechWeekEurope and ChannelBiz. He joined as a reporter in 2011 and covers all areas of IT, with a particular interest in telecommunications, mobile and networking, along with sports technology.

Recent Posts

Is the Digital Transformation of Businesses Complete?

Digital transformation is an ongoing journey, requiring continuous adaptation, strong leadership, and skilled talent to…

16 hours ago

Craig Wright Faces Contempt Claim Over Bitcoin Lawsuit

Australian computer scientist faces contempt-of-court claim after suing Jack Dorsey's Block and Bitcoin Core developers…

17 hours ago

OpenAI Adds ChatGPT Search Features

OpenAI's ChatGPT gets search features, putting it in direct competition with Microsoft and Google, amidst…

17 hours ago

Google Maps Steers Into Local Information With AI Chat

New Google Maps allows users to ask for detailed information on local spots, adds AI-summarised…

18 hours ago

Huawei Sees Sales Surge, But Profits Fall

US-sanctioned Huawei sees sales surge in first three quarters of 2024 on domestic smartphone popularity,…

18 hours ago

Apple Posts China Sales Decline, Ramping Pressure On AI Strategy

Apple posts slight decline in China sales for fourth quarter, as Tim Cook negotiates to…

19 hours ago