States Want a Closer Look at Google's Street View Data Gathering

A multistate inquiry into what Google says was the inadvertent gathering of Wi-Fi data by its Street View cars now has 37 attorneys general on board and some specific questions. Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal, who is spearheading the effort, sent a letter to the company today asking who inserted the data collection code into the Street View software, whether the software had been tested to see if it snagged any consumer data, and how many states were affected. Blumenthal asked for a response by Friday and said the states “will take all appropriate steps–including potential legal action if warranted–to obtain complete, comprehensive answers.” A Google spokeswoman–maintaining that the data-gathering was a mistake, but not illegal–said the company was continuing to cooperate with all inquiries into the issue.