I'm also certain there would be several developers working with the same code or being able to see the code. Something THIS intrusive couldn't have flown without express approval in the first place.
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Google "mistakenly" collected Wifi data.
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I'm also certain there would be several developers working with the same code or being able to see the code. Something THIS intrusive couldn't have flown without express approval in the first place.
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Regarding the data google were collecting, would it be of any use to them?
I'm not sure what level of data was kept myself but if it was useless data, I can't see why it would have been intentional.
If it was usable data that would be another matter entirely.
Regarding the data google were collecting, would it be of any use to them?
I'm not sure what level of data was kept myself but if it was useless data, I can't see why it would have been intentional.
If it was usable data that would be another matter entirely.
In fact, Google ended up exposing themselves.
The Germans asked Google to check what data they were gathering. So they did, and that's when they found out and told everyone about it. They could've kept the goofup quiet, but they didn't.
Isn't anyone here besides me a senior developer that works on projects like this? There is almost never a "QA department" for internal experimental apps. This is not consumer code.
Not a valid conclusion in this case. See above. Repeat: NOT CONSUMER CODE.
Nonsense yourself. I have three decades' experience seeing stuff like this happen. Most projects like this are started by individuals, and later developers often don't have the time to go look at all their codebase.
I remember working on a similar project for a phone company around 2000. We sent out vans with GPS to map the actual tower coverage areas. The results were used in a public map but later people started complaining that it wasn't accurate. It took a lot of scrutinizing to figure out that an early developer had left some rather unobvious debug code in that moved everything five miles east.
Good grief, of course it could. Happens all the time, in everything from settop boxes to NASA satellites. People reuse libraries. Mistakes happen. This is real life, not TV.
Exactly. Just fragments of whatever was going over a WiFi hotspot during the few seconds that the truck was in range. I would bet that 95% of the time, nothing was being sent, especially during the daytime when most people aren't at home.
My understanding is they did not even know it was collecting some of that data and more so the data packets they were collecting by mistake were useless. Heck if you only have 1 or 2 packets out of a file then what is the use of it. It is a incomplete file so no real way to translated it.
I believe google was really trying at the time to map were free wireless hot spots were. The mistake was made it was not throwing out data were there no way in hell that there was a free public hot spot but instead just idiots who did left their wireless complete open.
People should at least run WEP. While not the best in the world it keeps out the causal passerby looking for a free wireless.
Google need to cool it with the data collection. Prosecutions likely across Europe..
That wifi affair is really blowing up in their face. Germany look set to prosecute as they have an intent in law, so they'll have to pursue it. The UK is also going to refer to situation to Scotland yard, and although it's not that far gone yet, out criminal law is very similar (mens rea and all that). Google may face a whole spat of criminal prosecutions across Europe. Also I remember reading recently that Australia was pretty miffed and are going to investigate Google as well..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10278068.stm
That wifi affair is really blowing up in their face. Germany look set to prosecute as they have an intent in law, so they'll have to pursue it. The UK is also going to refer to situation to Scotland yard, and although it's not that far gone yet, out criminal law is very similar (mens rea and all that). Google may face a whole spat of criminal prosecutions across Europe. Also I remember reading recently that Australia was pretty miffed and are going to investigate Google as well..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10278068.stm
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Google must be the most accident-prone company ever! They "accidentally" designed this hardware/software setup, "accidentally" gave mgmt. approval to spend $ on buying it, "accidentally" installed it in cars, and "accidentally" trained people to "accidentally" operate it!!! Really, the arrogance of that explanation is one for the PR-fiasco history books. An explanation that didn't fool even one person. ------- I'm just curious -- did they FIRE any of the multiple-accident-prone people responsible for doing these things?
Google must be the most accident-prone company ever! They "accidentally" designed this hardware/software setup, "accidentally" gave mgmt. approval to spend $ on buying it, "accidentally" installed it in cars, and "accidentally" trained people to "accidentally" operate it!!! Really, the arrogance of that explanation is one for the PR-fiasco history books. An explanation that didn't fool even one person. ------- I'm just curious -- did they FIRE any of the multiple-accident-prone people responsible for doing these things?