Internet search services provider Google, Inc., US, will reportedly surrender the data it illegally collected over unsecured wireless networks. Google's chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, has said that the company would share the data with regulators in France, Germany and Spain. The data is thought to include snippets of personal information like bank account numbers and e-mail.
Earlier, Google had resisted to requests from European officials and privacy advocates to surrender the data, stating that it required time to evaluate legal issues. In a recent interview to The Financial Times, Schmidt said that the software code responsible for the data collection was in 'clear violation' of Google's rules. Google will publish a review of its privacy practices within next month. The company also plans to publish the findings of an external audit into its Wi-Fi snooping operations.
Last month, Google admitted that it had, since 2006, systematically collected private data while compiling its Street View photo archive. The information was sent over unencrypted residential wireless networks as Google's Street View cars with mounted recording equipment passed by. The company had then assured that the information has not been used and would be deleted as per regulations.
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