Blog here
"we said that while Google did collect publicly broadcast SSID information (the WiFi network name) and MAC addresses (the unique number given to a device like a WiFi router) using Street View cars, we did not collect payload data (information sent over the network). But it?s now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products."
"So how did this happen? Quite simply, it was a mistake. In 2006 an engineer working on an experimental WiFi project wrote a piece of code that sampled all categories of publicly broadcast WiFi data. A year later, when our mobile team started a project to collect basic WiFi network data like SSID information and MAC addresses using Google?s Street View cars, they included that code in their software?although the project leaders did not want, and had no intention of using, payload data."
Never mind collecting payload data, I want to know why they were collecting wifi data?
For streetview surely all they need is the images and the GPS data, no need to collect wifi data that I can see.
I'm not normally one to worry about data collection (eg. I don't think FB is out to get you and cookies don't scare me), however this worries me a little. What legitimate use is there for collecting that particular type of data?