Topic: "Don't be evil"... yeah right

[scottws]

Check out this story:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8684110.stm

Germany caught Google's street view capturing cars farming data from open wi-fi networks.  They are saying it was a mistake?  Um... how?  The car is supposed to go around and take pictures.  Why does it even have equipment and software capable of capturing packets sent across wi-fi?

[Cobra951]

You're right.  I don't get it.  Why would they need to sample wifi data at all?  I can understand there being laptops in all those Google cars, but how does private wifi data relate to the mission of photographing and mapping the streets?  That can't be just a question of going too far with something useful to their purpose.

[Quemaqua]

Have I mentioned how much I hate Google?

[Ghandi]

Yes, yes you have.

[Pugnate]

You could start any sentence with "Have I mentioned how much I hate", and we would give you an emphatic yes.

[gpw11]

Mapping hotspots? Although it would make more sense for Navteq to do that rather than Google itself. It'd also be pointless and there'd be better ways to do it.

[Cools!]

Yeah, mapping hotspots was my first guess. I love how they blame an engineer for it.