“Whoopsie!” says Google. “OOpsie!” “We didn’t know!” “A mistake!”
Thus says the Mighty G. Google Says It Mistakenly Collected Data on Web Usage
Google Inc. said an internal investigation has discovered that the roving vans the company uses to create its online mapping services were mistakenly collecting data about websites people were visiting over wireless networks.
…Google had previously said it was collecting the location of Wi-Fi hot spots from its StreetView vehicles, but not the information being transmitted over those networks by users.
“It’s now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) Wi-Fi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products,” wrote Mr. Eustace. “We are profoundly sorry for this error and are determined to learn all the lessons we can from our mistake.”
Well, I got my laugh for the day! They are “profoundly sorry.” Uh huh.
So while Google was roaming your area, snapping photos of your property and neighborhood, they were also harvesting data about every wireless network (home AND corporate) and the MAC addresses (that’s the identification number of your computer) of them. … so if you were sending email, Google harvested the data. If you were watching videos or getting auto insurance reviews and sending out your personal data, Google knows.
Google says they didn’t pick up secured networks or encrypted websites (rrrright).
I can’t believe the crap in the news story, though. It’s “now clear” that Google has been “mistakenly collecting” data?! Uh HUH. They didn’t know! They were ignorant! They have an excuse!
But they’ve been doing this since 2007!!!!!
And they weren’t harvesting USER data “previously”; but all of a sudden, they now “mistakenly” are.
Google said it has been collecting and keeping the data since around 2007. At that time, the team building the software to gather the location of Wi-Fi hot spots mistakenly included some experimental software that sampled all categories of publicly broadcast Wi-Fi data.
“It is another example of the how the company hasn’t effectively grappled with the massive amount of information it collects,” said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy.
“How the company hasn’t effectively grappled with the massive amount of information”?! I’d say the people haven’t effectively grappled with the massive amount of CONTROL these people are getting over our lives!
Oh, and the kicker? Google PROMISES that they haven’t used ANY of this information for ANY Google products. So… what DID they and what ARE they using the data for?
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrright……


I’m too tired to be enraged. I think my rage is starting to consume me…. 
I do not believe that we should legalize (or encourage) pornography, pot-smoking, “escort” services,
Could this possibly be the Tenth Amendment?! Why, yes, boys and girls, it IS!
Why aren’t we spending our time defending the Constitution and Bill of Rights, instead of bickering over government HMOs and Granny’s pension and whether the government can allow teenagers to kill off their unborn babies?
I feel so much better. I haven’t had a rant like this in, gee, three or four days! Thanks, Don. 

