Google to delete UK Street View Wi-Fi data

Google's Wi-Fi catcher... sorry, Street Car
Google's Wi-Fi catcher... sorry, Street Car

Google has promised to delete all the Wi-Fi data its Street View cars accidentally downloaded from the UK, giving itself nine months to do the job.

Even though Google collected data - unwittingly or not – that it had no right to, David Smith, deputy information commissioner from the UK has said that Google will not be fined for the incident.

"We'd have had to find that there was substantial damage or distress to individuals from the collection of snippets of emails, URLs and passwords." He told the BBC.

"We'd have to meet that criteria for a penalty to be imposed."

No duplication

To be fair to Google, it admitted itself that it downloaded Wi-Fi data while compiling shots for Street View, but it was found that the company had downloaded sensitive information in Canada, after the Canadian authorities investigated what data was collected by the search giant.

The UK hasn't and won't do as stringent an investigation, with Smith explaining: "We spent less time searching than others did. If we had searched for days and days we would have found more.

"It is not a good use of the data protection authority to duplicate more in-depth enquiries."

Google will now have nine months to delete all the data it collected. We never knew that finding Ctrl+A and Ctrl+X took so long.

TOPICS
Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.

Latest in Wi-Fi & Broadband
Eero 7 mesh Wi-Fi system on a wooden table
I tested the affordable Eero 7 mesh Wi-Fi system, and as long as you don't need 6.0GHz Wi-Fi, it's great for bringing those dead spots back to life
Eero 7 on a nightstand
Amazon's new Eero 7 and Pro 7 complete a 'comprehensive lineup' for its customers – here's everything you need to know
A hacker wearing a hoodie sitting at a computer, his face hidden.
I just learned something awful about my home Wi-Fi setup thanks to iFixit’s ‘worst of CES 2025’ awards
Extendable WiFi 7 KV
Don't buy a router, buy a fast and secure ASUS WiFi 7 extendable router
Netgear Nighthawk router next to its box on a table
Netgear Nighthawk RS200 review: Netgear’s latest Wi-Fi 7 router is competitively priced – but makes compromises to get there
Netgear Orbi 770 router system resting on a table
Netgear Orbi 770 review: fast speeds, low Wi-Fi 7 prices
Latest in News
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game
Robert Downey Jr reveals himself as Doctor Doom to a delighted crowd at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Marvel is currently revealing the full cast for Avengers: Doomsday, and I think it's going to be a long-winded announcement
Samsung QN90F on yellow background
Samsung announces US prices for its 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, and it’s good and bad news