A brief departure from our life oriented topics to say that technology advances have made possible the aggregation of personal details few imagined:
Google Inc. said an internal investigation has discovered that the roving vans the company uses to create its online mapping services were mistakenly collecting data about websites people were visiting over wireless networks.It was a "mistake" after the public uproar....
For years, Google has used its squadron of Street View cars to capture both imagery and 3D geometry for Google Maps and data about Wi-Fi networks that it uses in its geolocation-enabled apps. It's been a controversial practice. And on April 27, the company published a blog post to clear up misconceptions about its practices.
There certainly is a backlash against Google, a private company that could profit from the marketing information contained in the depository of WIFI data.
Although I'm leery of Google and how the information might be used, I have to ask, "How much more does the American public have to worry about such data in the hands of the federal government, an every growing bureaucracy filled with individuals motivated by self-interest, power and prestige?"
Photo Credit for the extreme Google Spycam: ekstreme.com
