Google has been in hot water ever since a number of lawsuits were filed against it regarding the company's interception of WiFi data while the company was gathering data for their Street View service. Now it seems Google's problems are far from over after a San Francisco court affirmed its earlier ruling that the company violated privacy laws.
Back in September, a federal Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that company violated the U.S. Wiretap Act when it collected Wi-Fi data for its Street View Service. Last week, the same court reaffirmed its September decision. However, the court has agreed to rehear the case. Despite the approval for a rehearing, the case will not be given an en banc review, something the company was hoping for.
Google's problems started when the company allegedly intercepted information from open wireless networks while gathering images to use for its Street View service. Stree View is one of the company's most popular and widely used products to date. While Google has insisted that the data was collected by mistake, a number of lawsuits against the company were still filed. Google has also announced that they will no longer use WiFi information when collecting Street View images.
According to Google, its interception of data from open WiFi networks was not in violation of the U.S. Wiretap Act due to the fact that these signals are accessible to the public at large. The company insisted that any "form of communications over unencrypted Wi-Fi networks" is not covered under the said act.
While the company has issued an apology regarding the incident, several lawsuits were filed due to the company's apparent transgression. Eventually the lawsuits were all lumped together as a class action suit.
In addition to affirming its previous ruling, the San Francisco court also published an amendment that further details Google's apparent violation of the WireTap Act.
Google has expressed its disappointment at the court's ruling. However, the company is also pleased that it was granted a rehearing. Google is also considering what to do next in light of the recent court decisions.
