London - Google has been told it has 35 days to delete sensitive data collected illegally by its camera cars while building its Street View mapping tool.
The search giant, which has also faced intense pressure over tax avoidance recently, was told it risked criminal proceedings if it did not comply. But it has escaped a fine.
The Information Commissioner ordered Google to destroy four discs holding data its camera cars collected from unsecured Wi-Fi networks. The company had previously promised to destroy all the data it scooped up as its cars toured the country, but admitted last year that it had “accidentally” retained the four discs.
This is the latest in a string of online privacy embarrassments for Google, which has been fined by overseas regulators over its Street View data collection.
The company admitted in 2010 that it had collected information including passwords and emails from unsecured wireless networks.
A Google spokesman said: “We work hard to get privacy right at Google… The project leaders never wanted this data and didn't use it or even look at it. We co-operated fully with the ICO throughout its investigation and having received its order this morning we are proceeding with our plan to delete the data.” - The Independent