Spanish Data Protection Agency moving against Google

Spanish Data Protection Agency moving against Google
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By h.b. - Oct 18, 2010 - 3:23 PM
They are investigating the data gathered from wifi systems as the Street View images are collected

Photo EFE

The Data Protection Agency in Spain has opened a process to fine Google for its Street View program.

The Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, AEPD has started to take action after noting ‘the existance of indications of two serious infractions and three very serious infractions’ against the Spanish Data Protection Law.

The move comes after an investigation started into the alleged capture of personal data by the Street View service.

The AEPD considers that ‘it has been verified that data on the location of wifi networks, with the identification of their owners, and personal data of a diverse nature in communications, such as names and surnames, messages associated with such accounts and message services, or users codes or passwords among others’ was captured by Google.

In August this year Instruction Court 45 in Madrid cited Google’s legal representative in Spain, to clear up what information was captured from users wi-fi during the collection of Street View data. Therefore any fine from the AEPD will be held off until the court case has been completed, but the process will be restarted after the judicial procedure has come to an end. Then Google will be given the usual period to respond to the allegations and present evidence.

Each one of the infractions is punishable under the Spanish law by a fine of between 60,101 € and 300,506 €, while the very serious infractions can see fines as high as 601,012 €.

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