Google to face US lawsuits over Street View Wi-Fi snooping

A US judge has ruled that Google can face legal action over the collection of data on Wi-Fi networks by its Street View cars.

The firm had hoped to have the case thrown out, but district judge James Ware ruled against Google. Ware maintained that Google's argument was not sufficient to have the case dismissed.

"[Google's] contention that plaintiffs fail to state a claim for violation of the Wiretap Act, as plaintiffs plead that their networks were 'open' and 'unencrypted', is misplaced," he said.

"Based on the allegations, the court finds that plaintiffs plead facts sufficient to state a claim for violation of the Wiretap Act."

A spokesperson for Google said that the company was disappointed with the decision and remained adamant that the case should not be heard.

"We believe these claims are without merit and that the court should have dismissed the wiretap claim just as it dismissed the plaintiffs' other claims. We're still evaluating our options at this preliminary stage," the spokesperson said.

The issue of Google's Street View cars capturing Wi-Fi network data caused huge controversy for the firm. UK privacy groups were up in arms over the situation, while French authorities issued a fine.

UK authorities looked into the case, but the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Metropolitan Police declined to bring action against Google.

The ICO has warned Microsoft to avoid falling foul of similar issues after the firm announced that it will launch a similar service called Streetside.