#Google Admits Street View Project Violated Privacy - NYTimes.com
▻http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/technology/google-pays-fine-over-street-view-privacy-breach.html
SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Tuesday acknowledged to state officials that it had violated people’s #privacy during its #Street_View mapping project when it casually scooped up passwords, e-mail and other personal information from unsuspecting computer users.
In agreeing to settle a case brought by 38 states involving the project, the search company for the first time is required to aggressively police its own employees on privacy issues and to explicitly tell the public how to fend off privacy violations like this one.
While the settlement also included a tiny — for Google — fine of $7 million, privacy advocates and Google critics characterized the overall agreement as a breakthrough for a company they say has become a serial violator of privacy.
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The agreement paves the way for a major privacy battle over Google Glass, the heavily promoted wearable computer in the form of glasses, Mr. Cleland said. “If you use #Google_Glass to record a couple whispering to each other in Starbucks, have you violated their privacy?” he asked. “Well, 38 states just said they have a problem with the unauthorized collection of people’s data.”
