Security → Re: Google accused of criminal intent over StreetView data

That was for accessing the underlying network, not monitoring the wireless traffic . There is a big distinction between the two.

»news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_n ··· 0304.stm

My thoughts are similar to the following...

"If the wireless owner has not asked for nor expects a payment for use of their broadband and you have not broken into the system but have connected through normal means then I cannot see how you have either "dishonestly" obtained a service nor avoided any payment. Securing your wireless network is clearly recommended in the instructions so I see no reason not to imply that an open network is open for public use. If you don't want people to use your connection, ...

I have not asked, nor do I particularly want to be irradiated by the wireless networks from my neighbors - I can pick up about a dozen. If it enters my house, I should be able to do with it what I want."

That distinction is a moot point. The issue will be how the EU interprets data laws, and if they want to fine Google, they'll interpet the law accordingly as there are few laws that have caught up with these issues.

lets be consistent, we talking about the US or Europe here?

Let's stop the "I'm in the US, and nothing else counts" attitude. As the internet is ubiquitous, the US is just one country of many where Google is present.

Pehaps you haven't been reading lately. Google has been brought up in Europe, Australia and elsewhere on violations of THEIR privacy laws. (And I suspect in many countries it will be targeted because it is an American country that profits without giving back in kind.)

As the initial post stated "This would put Google at odds with the interception laws of the 30 countries that the system was used in" and LinkLogger concluded, "Ever had that feel that technology companies are going to start avoiding Europe?"

I think this is highly likely to be the case eventually. The EU or its former individual countries didn't have a dark age for nothing.

Right, and about 100 years after that the US displayed its enlightenment and showed what it learned in those 100 years by burning witches in Salem (good 'ol liberal) Massachusetts.

So now that we've dispensed with the historical analogies, we can focus on why would google be exempt from European privacy laws.

Mind you, Europe isn't ahead of the US in most regards (and no doubt doesn't like American companies treading on its turf), but perhaps the US should pay more attention to Europe's privacy and data controls, which were put in place well before WWW was a gleam in Tim Berners-Lee's eyes.