Ohio AG joins $7M multistate settlement with Google

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today joined 37 states and the District of Columbia in a $7 million settlement with Google over its collection of data from unsecured wireless networks nationwide while taking photographs for its Street View service between 2008 and March 2010. Ohio is expected to receive $162,000.

"While we all must do what we can to safeguard our own personal information, this settlement recognizes the privacy rights of individuals and serves as a reminder that this information cannot be collected without a person's permission," DeWine said.

Google's Street View cars were equipped with antennae and open-source software that the company acknowledged collected network identification information for use in future geolocation services. At the same time, while capturing images for its Street View service, Google collected and stored data being transmitted over those unsecured business and personal wireless networks.

While Google represented it was unaware the data was being collected, the assurance of voluntary compliance it signed with the states today acknowledged the data or information collected may have included addresses of requested web pages, partial or complete email communications, and any confidential or private information being transmitted to or from the network user while the Street View cars were driving by.

Google has since disabled or removed the equipment and software used to collect the kind of data specified in the settlement from its Street View vehicles, and agreed not to collect any additional information without notice and consent.