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Google - Source: Reuters -
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New Zealand police are investigating a possible breach of privacy by the world's biggest internet company.
A report has found Google collected and stored wireless internet information it photographed for its street view programme.
Police have confirmed they have received a complaint from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner about Google's "Street View" programme, which photographed houses and streets with 3D cameras.
It has sparked fears the computer giant may have intercepted personal banking details, or linked people's internet behaviour to home addresses.
"It looks like possibly in breach of New Zealand law, so you could say that's certainly unethically, and possibly illegal," says Netsafe's development manager Sean Lyons.
Google has acknowledged it collected fragments of data in more than 30 countries, but the firm has locked down details while the matter is being investigated.
It's unclear exactly what kind of data has been collected and whether the data was used, but privacy lawyer John Edwards is wary of what the data may be used for.
"Google may well be aggregating all of this WiFi data in a form which that is not available anywhere else [which] could be used for nefarious purposes," says Edwards.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has previously expressed concerns about the company's data and privacy protection in a letter co-signed with international counterparts.
Google has said the company takes privacy very seriously, saying in a statement that it "was a mistake for which we are profoundly sorry. We'll be working with all the relevant authorities to answer any questions they might have."
They have also faced legal issues overseas in relation to data collection. The company said it would hand over the data it collected through wireless networks to French, Germand and Spanish authorities as a result.
Additionally Canada has recently launched a probe into the search giant's Street View service amid privacy concerns and the US Federal Trade Commission has begun an informal inquiry into the matter.
Suits have been filed in Washington DC, California, Massachusetts and Oregon by people who accuse Google of violating their privacy by collecting data from open Wi-Fi networks.
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