Breaking down Google privacy issue

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Have you seen the Google street view car driving -- home it was -- meant to identify street mapping services.

Turns out that Google street view was getting old more than just a snapshot is a drives by your home.

Scott Leland author -- search and destroy why you can't trust Google.

And colonel -- -- retired US air force and cyber security consultant join us.

All right gentlemen thank you for being with us today.

Now -- doubt that there is other information that Google -- collecting other than just this mapping information.

Scott what was that other information.

Well we didn't know that they were doing something called war driving which is basically an antenna that is.

Collecting what ever Wi-Fi signals are emanating from anybody's house.

As they drive by.

And there was a responsible way they could be doing that and irresponsible way and they did the irresponsible way they collected.

All day that they didn't just -- it to say is there -- Wi-Fi you that location there.

What they did -- collect everything emanating from that household at that time okay could've been passwords or email.

It's all right so just saying -- they're not just mapping they're getting information.

From Wi-Fi including.

Emails.

-- is colonel what else.

Well they're getting all kinds of things and Scott is -- -- -- -- these are the kinds of data that protect our privacy and he can also get online banking data anything that happens to be transmitted as they're driving by.

And that is a serious problem.

Now apparently Google as indicated and they told us at the Y find information was not elected to enhance -- few -- say.

But to enhance location specific advertising.

Do you buy this current well.

It would work in the sense that they would mesh the data that they get from -- street view cars with GPS.

But the problem is is that the Wi-Fi data is sporadic and it can change a lawsuits they base their advertising.

-- -- on the fact that they're getting it Wi-Fi data it's not quite correct because Wi-Fi is that the map of the United States changes all the time.

Then and Scott what do you believe them when they say that look we really were just trying to get this additional information for advertising purposes and we Cindy -- Got your banking information in your emails your actress injured telephone numbers and the substance of your emails you buy -- No it's preposterous.

They drove in 33 countries that had hundreds of cars for three years driving been collecting all this data and they said we didn't know we were collecting all of it.

Well the thing is is they would have needed lots larger hard drives over three year period hundreds of people should have been saying.

-- we're collecting a whole lot of data how could that be and they wanna say it was one road engineer's mistake.

That's laughable it just doesn't hold up.

And you know Scott from 2007.

To 2010 they were collecting this information.

And do that period of time -- deputy General Counsel was testifying before congress and basically saying look.

We have a privacy hawks we are right out there protecting your privacy.

We're making sure that this kind of thing you know doesn't happen that we invade your privacy.

And yet they did -- which they admitted to a little later.

How -- actually do it did they have to do something affirmative to collect this personal private information.

Know what they did with street view is they just drove by and they collected it and it's it's called war driving but when a fortune 100 company does it and is doing on tens of millions of households and 33 countries.

They -- standard above legal which is responsible and it was terribly irresponsible what they did all right doing this without telling anybody anything well and.

And maybe -- misleading congress when they said they weren't colonel how are -- able to do this this is software glitch or rogue employee.

I don't think it's either one of those I think what it is is it's a deliberate corporate policy to get as much information as possible and unfortunately what they're doing is they're not going.

By the same privacy standards that the government has to abide by in law enforcement and intelligence and being a former intelligence officer I knew exactly what training we had.

It when it comes to matters like this and -- seems to me that there is nothing of that sort.

Being practiced by Google at this time.

Or -- in the military and intelligence -- cyber expert is is it's a violation of the federal wiretap law.

It could potentially could be it's -- very he hit that very distinct piece of information that they're gathering potentially.

It is a very key piece that would only in the old days before we had the Internet.

Be available through something.

Like a phone network in since the wiretap law applies to both Internet and phone services.

I think it does violate that law okay and -- very quickly.

A violation of the federal wiretap plot.

Well it appears on the surface that is but it's been at the FCC for a year and a half trying to determine that.

And -- at a minimum it's.

Close to it.

Well yes you know what's interesting here is that right now we've got forty attorneys general across the country were suing based upon the street do you Wi-Fi.

Collection of information and a consolidated class action lawsuit.

Colonel they say you know -- we didn't intentionally collect this stuff.

I is that an excuse.

Can't be I don't buy -- I don't think that anybody who has corporate responsibility like a country a company like Google has.

I don't think they can allow something like this to go on unchecked and I think they need to take a look at the privacy practices that the government uses in order to really.

Better themselves in this area.

And Scott final question we just wrapping up here is making collect information.

And not be sanctioned for our personal information YCFTC.

Not coming after them double barreled.

But while I don't know why I -- -- a piece just to -- two weeks going Google's top 35 privacy scandals.

You know -- this is you have to have context.

Google does not care about people's privacy even though they say they have in the FTC has been largely absent they did do an -- FTC Google Buzz.

Sanction.

But other than that Google has gotten away with tons of violation.

Well certainly on street view -- they -- -- clearly have not been sanctioned and just for our viewers nine countries have found.

That's street view well violated their -- privacy laws all right take general lot -- Lleyton and Scott.

Cleveland thanks so much for being with us.

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Breaking down Google privacy issue

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