Google's Wi-Fi data harvesting was no accident, says Privacy International

Privacy International claims that Google intended to collect the personal data

Google deliberately collected private Wi-Fi data from homes and businesses despite claiming it was done in error, according to privacy group Privacy International.

Google admitted last month that it had accessed so-called 'payload' data, which includes Wi-Fi network names, MAC addresses and samples of information sent over networks, when its vans were gathering content for the Street View service in 2008.

The search firm had argued that it never intended to use the information, and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) declined to launch a follow-up investigation.

But speaking at the Fine Balance event in London earlier this week, Privacy International director Simon Davies effectively argued that Google had lied to regulators in claiming that the data had been collected by mistake.

Davies suggested that the ICO was naïve to believe Google's argument. "It is a wholly implausible explanation from the engineer I spoke to, who said it was 'unbelievable' that Google could have done this by mistake," he said.

"Google has never quite understood the nature of the privacy beast. While the collection may be lawful in some countries, there remains a trust issue in that Google failed to be transparent."

Davies also claimed that people still have cause for concern even if they believe Google acted unintentionally.

"If you believe Google's story that they had this rogue piece of code collecting all the data, and this random set of events took place with no management structure, then do you really want to trust this kind of organisation with your data?" he said.

Google responded by repeating its argument that the collection of private Wi-Fi data had been a mistake.

"It was a failure of communication within and between teams," a Google spokesperson added. "We are continuing to work with the relevant authorities to respond to their questions and concerns."

Privacy organisations have criticised the ICO for failing to censure Google over the data violation, and have argued that Google's actions show a "disdain for privacy". But they have not accused Google of a deliberate illegal act until now.

Google and Privacy International have been engaged in a war of words for some time. Google has complained of being unfairly targeted by the organisation, and has accused Davies of being "far from impartial".