27 May 2010 | Author: J. Morton Search Copywriter

Google hangs on to wireless network info

Search seraph Google stated it would not be able to meet a German data protection deadline for the turnover of information collected from unsecured wireless home networks whilst conducting its extensive Google Street View project.

As reported by the New York Times, the company will not turn over the information, as demanded by the Hamburg data protection supervisor, due to wrangling with the implications of certain German laws.

"As granting access to payload data creates legal challenges in Germany which we need to review, we are continuing to discuss the appropriate legal and logistical process for making the data available," said Google spokesman Peter Barron.

Johannes Caspar, the Hamburg data protection supervisor, expressed dismay at the company's inaction, and explained that the handover would not infract German law. "Therefore there is no apparent reason to still withhold the data from us," he said.

Barron said that the company hopes to resolve the issue and come to an agreement with the data protection agency if "given more time."

This follows an already passed deadline of Monday for similar actions in Hong Kong, where privacy commissioner Roderick B Woo has condemned the company after refusing to turn over information.

"I do not see that Google is taking the matter seriously enough," Woo said. "Unless some remedial measures are taken by Google promptly, I shall have to consider escalating the situation and resort to more assertive action."

The search giant recently revealed that through its collection methods for the street view photo archive, it had accidentally accumulated private data in excess of 600 gigabytes.