Google Street View Privacy Case Reopened In UK

The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office has reopened its investigation into the Street View data collection that occurred between 2007 and 2010. In a letter to the search company, the watchdog company lays out how the case needs to be reopened following the FCC's findings. Google told the watchdog in the past that it had no knowledge of the data snooping taking place, with the FCC finding evidence suggesting the opposite.

The ICO says in its letter: "We were specifically told by Google that it was a simple mistake and if the data was collected deliberately then it is clear that this is a different situation than was reported to us in April 2010. Given the findings of the FCC we have re-opened our investigation."

Google has responded saying that the company is "happy to answer the ICO's questions", going on to say that the project leaders who had knowledge of the data collection didn't want or use the data in any way. The FCC fined Google $25,000 after it was discovered that an engineer had specifically written software that would capture payload data. Not only that, the engineer warned the company, contrary to Google's admissions that it knew nothing of the sort was happening.

[via Bloomberg]