French data protection authority Cnil has received confirmation from Google that it collected e-mail passwords and parts of e-mail messages from unsecured Wi-Fi networks as its camera cars took images for its Street View service. More controversially, Google also confirmed that Street View data was used for other Google Maps services, notably Google Latitude. The location-based service makes use of mobile terminals' GPS function as well as data from mobile networks as it gives the location of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and services. Cnil requested that Google officially declare its Latitude service, which raises data protection issues. The French body stated that it was the first data protection agency to have received detailed information on what the US internet giant actually recorded, although its German and Spanish counterparts had made similar requests.On 26 May, the French authority found itself obliged to make a formal demand on Google to inform it of the data collected from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, giving the US internet giant seven days to comply. Cnil said it took this measure because of inadequate feedback from Google when it first asked for information on 19 May. The company fully complied on 4 June, allowing Cnil staff to access the data through a secure dedicated link as well as providing it with two hard drives storing massive amounts of data. Google also asked Cnil a number of essentially technical questions which are still being assessed by the authority which said it was still too early to state what will follow from the control process.
