Not a G'Day for Google Down Under

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Google's inadvertent gathering of personal data over public Wi -Fi networks while photographing neighborhoods for Street View mapping violated Australia's Privacy Act of 1988 (No. 119, 1988), concluded Down Under Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis, according to an Associated Press story.

 Although Curtis' completed investigation condemns the conduct of the Mountain View, Calif. search engine giant, the Privacy Act's provisions prevent her from imposing any sanctions against Google because she initiated the inquiry. Google's shrimp may not be off the barbie yet, however, because the AP account said the Australian Federal Police are conducting a probe into whether the company may have violated Austrailia's telecommunications interception act. Google Search "English-speaking nations with too many bad laws" now.

Google published an apology to Australians on its blog. The company admitted in May that it improperly gathered data from more than 30 countries while carrying out its Street View mapping duties.