Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 24 October 2010, 16:45:01
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You thought they were only collecting photos...
Google has admitted to collecting emails and passwords from unsecured WiFi connections
Apparently, "...Google had "accidentally" grabbed data from unsecured hotspots for years as its Street View cars captured images of street scenes."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11614970
:o :o :o :o
Glad I don't have a WiFi connection, just a good old fashioned hard-wired router. :y
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serves the numptys right who leave their network un-secured
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serves the numptys right who leave their network un-secured
Exactly.
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serves the numptys right who leave their network un-secured
Exactly.
a few years ago we would tell our eldest to turn off the laptop at about 10.30pm and get to bed, and we used to turn off the wireless router thinking that was that, took us a while to realise she was hooking up with next doors unsecure connection and spending hours talking to her mates on msn,crafty little tinker!
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I reckon it's a good job the Internet hadn't really taken off when I was at school (it was just starting to by the time I left, really) .. I'd never have left the house and certainly would have bombed out of school even earlier than I did ;D
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serves the numptys right who leave their network un-secured
Exactly.
Hang on a min, I agree they are in the wrong, but grabbing data whilst roaming the roads has got to be a data protection nono that was done with intent. Sorry, but Google are way out of order.
A lot of people jump on the band wagon regards thier privacy, but at least dont expect to have it collected in this manner. :-/
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People should understand how much info they have on a PC and that there are some people out there that make a living by stealing that information. Plus the paedophiles and other lowlife that use other peoples connections to partake in illegal activities.
What Google did may have been wrong but, if you leave your front door wide open someone is going to come along and rob you one day.
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I fail to see how you could accidentally collect this info. >:(
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I fail to see how you could accidentally collect this info. >:(
Easily.
They were scanning for SSIDs to geocache wifi signals (which, I'm pretty sure, was written about somewhere on one of their blogs) - their mechanism for this involved capturing packets 'off the air'.
If you're unencrypted, random packets will contain random data.. like anything you send over the web, email, and so on - like your usernames and passwords (a surprising amount of which, you'll find, are sent 'in the clear' rather than encrypted - personally I'd be more worried about that than Google)
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I fail to see how you could accidentally collect this info. >:(
Easily.
They were scanning for SSIDs to geocache wifi signals (which, I'm pretty sure, was written about somewhere on one of their blogs) - their mechanism for this involved capturing packets 'off the air'.
If you're unencrypted, random packets will contain random data.. like anything you send over the web, email, and so on - like your usernames and passwords (a surprising amount of which, you'll find, are sent 'in the clear' rather than encrypted - personally I'd be more worried about that than Google)
That's not quite an accident then.
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:-?
They were purposely mapping SSIDs. They accidentally captured other information they did not intend to.
So.. accidentally.
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I fail to see how you could accidentally collect this info. >:(
Easily.
They were scanning for SSIDs to geocache wifi signals (which, I'm pretty sure, was written about somewhere on one of their blogs) - their mechanism for this involved capturing packets 'off the air'.
If you're unencrypted, random packets will contain random data.. like anything you send over the web, email, and so on - like your usernames and passwords (a surprising amount of which, you'll find, are sent 'in the clear' rather than encrypted - personally I'd be more worried about that than Google)
So forgive me if I am wrong here, Passwords and email details were accidently captured.
So you mean they didnt do any testing of equipment and the goverments arround the world gave them a green light.
MMmmmm Maybe this was all intentional, the government turned a blind eye as they have plenty to gain from this, and OOP's they got found out doing it. Sorry, cover it all you want, should never ever ever have happened.
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When was the government involved in all this? :-?
Tin foil hats, ahoy!
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Glad I don't have a WiFi connection, just a good old fashioned hard-wired router. :y
I quite agree Nick.
BT recently installed a 'Home Hub' when I moved over to their 'Infinity' service. The fitter wanted to enable the wireless function but I declined this preferring the wired option instead.
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I fail to see how you could accidentally collect this info. >:(
I'm afraid that I have to agree with you Chris - if not accidental, Google showed a wilful or at the very least reckless disregard for the privacy of others. (As shown with their street view service and by their information collecting activities on the internet)
The pre-eminent position of Google in the information gathering field - how they achieved that, how it's maintained and what they do with the information - makes it a very dangerous group indeed.
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Seeing as the company's informal motto is supposed to be "Don't be evil" this is a pretty stupid mistake to make. Scanning and identifying wireless networks is not in itself illegal in the UK, but taking information from them infringes on personal privacy and potentially is actionable under the Communications Act, although this may hinge on whether there was any intent of Google to do take and store the information - Google's statement that such information was trapped accidentally looks like their attempt to get out of being fined for their activities.
What really concerns me is that the Irish Government have demanded Google delete all personal data they have accumulated via the Street View project, for which they have complied. I'm disappointed they haven't done so voluntarily without being told across all countries, and additionally why hasn't the UK Government asked that the same action is taken?
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Seeing as the company's informal motto is supposed to be "Don't be evil" this is a pretty stupid mistake to make. Scanning and identifying wireless networks is not in itself illegal in the UK, but taking information from them infringes on personal privacy and potentially is actionable under the Communications Act, although this may hinge on whether there was any intent of Google to do take and store the information - Google's statement that such information was trapped accidentally looks like their attempt to get out of being fined for their activities.
What really concerns me is that the Irish Government have demanded Google delete all personal data they have accumulated via the Street View project, for which they have complied. I'm disappointed they haven't done so voluntarily without being told across all countries, and additionally why hasn't the UK Government asked that the same action is taken?
I'm disappointed they haven't done so voluntarily without being told across all countries,
In that case Blue it's because as far as Google is concerned information is not only power but also (more importantly) money.
why hasn't the UK Government asked that the same action is taken
That one's easy to answer B, it's because we haven't had a government worth half-an-arsefull-of-roasted-snow for some time now.
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I think that's a debatable point about the information being worth somethng to them - in this case it could cost them, not just in legal disputes but also in lost confidence in them from current/future customers and supporters, plus the very real threat of being attacked by
fat spotty kids in bedrooms hackers and the general oddballs/reactionary weirdos that live on the web.
It's been a few years since Microsoft were the dish du jour for for script kiddies and no-one really ever took their place. Google was seen by most in that crowd as Gates' nemesis (and therefore were left largely alone), but I wonder how long it will be before they wake up and realise that it's just another global coporation trampling around and start to have a bash back at them.
You're right about the lack of action by the Government imv, and would be a good idea if they grew a pair and very publicly slapped Google down. Might give people a bit of confidence in them being a bit more than a bunch of talkers unlike the last bunch of useless idiots in power.
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Schmidt: Don’t Like Google Street View Photographing Your House? Then Move.
This piece of sage advice from Schmidt (Google CEO) shows the distain that many in that group appears to have for the rights of those who have been featured on their site without prior permission having been sought.
The following shows Google espousing some rather concerning ambitions.
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20101025/schmidt-dont-like-google-street-view-photographing-your-house-then-move/
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At least Google's cars only come around once in a while..
The Government, it seemed, had a habit of erecting hidden cameras (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-11621263) to spy on certain segments of the population.
Naturally they are just filming us for our own safety.
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The reality is that, if you use the internet (and one assumes that, if you have an unencrypted wireless LAN, you do) Google is already shafting you and stealing your personal information anyway, especially if you didn't bin that gay "Toolbar" that was probably part of the pre-installed bloat on your new Windoze PC.
What they can gather when driving past your house is small fry compared to what they're gathering from monitoring your internet use in other ways. ;)
However, whilst on the internet there is very little regulation that will stick and "anything goes" I do wonder how their wireless LAN sniffing would stand up against the Wireless Telegraphy Act:
48Interception and disclosure of messages
(1)A person commits an offence if, otherwise than under the authority of a designated person—
(a)he uses wireless telegraphy apparatus with intent to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of a message (whether sent by means of wireless telegraphy or not) of which neither he nor a person on whose behalf he is acting is an intended recipient, or
(b)he discloses information as to the contents, sender or addressee of such a message.
Kevin
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Indeed - and also, if you do assume the gov't is interested in your usernames, passwords and browsing habits (which appeared to be a concern earlier in the thread) and was involved in this conspiracy .. there are much easier ways they could get the data than relying on Google driving past your house and hoping that the people they're interested in happen to have an unsecured WiFi router ;)
Considering there are actually relatively few points, for example, that you would need to monitor to see all communications into & out of the country..
Or that a great many people quite happily send their email account passwords unencrypted over the Internet at large (e.g. if you log in to your webmail on http:// rather than https://, or if you use the default POP3/IMAP configurations rather than IMAPS), or use the same passwords for their IM as their email as their bank etc..
If you're that paranoid about security, you probably shouldn't be on the internet in the first place ;) (or all of your traffic should be encrypted point-to-point, tunnelled over a VPN that emerges out of a foreign country and using something like TOR - all of which would make your browsing experience something like using a 9600baud modem, of course ;D )
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At least Google's cars only come around once in a while..
The Government, it seemed, had a habit of erecting hidden cameras (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-11621263) to spy on certain segments of the population.
Naturally they are just filming us for our own safety.
The difference of course Aaron is that the remote observation, in this case by the 'police', is supposedly done for a different purpose.
Google's apparent aim is to collect information for the purposes of market domination and monetary gain.
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At least Google's cars only come around once in a while..
The Government, it seemed, had a habit of erecting hidden cameras (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-11621263) to spy on certain segments of the population.
Naturally they are just filming us for our own safety.
The difference of course Aaron is that the remote observation, in this case by the 'police', is supposedly done for a different purpose.
Google's apparent aim is to collect information for the purposes of market domination and monetary gain.
According to a Google spokesman today they had no intention of collecting data, let alone storing it whilst photographing streets. They are to delete all that has been collected immediatey, as it should never have happened ;) ;)
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According to a Google spokesman today they had no intention of collecting data, let alone storing it whilst photographing streets. They are to delete all that has been collected immediatey, as it should never have happened ;) ;)
.. and if you believe that... ;)
After all, they would surely have already deleted it, as the last time this came up they promised it was only the SSIDs they were keeping.
Kevin
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According to a Google spokesman today they had no intention of collecting data, let alone storing it whilst photographing streets. They are to delete all that has been collected immediatey, as it should never have happened ;) ;)
.. and if you believe that... ;)
After all, they would surely have already deleted it, as the last time this came up they promised it was only the SSIDs they were keeping.
Kevin
I would think Kevin few will, but............. :D :D :D :D :D :D ;)
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Coincidentally, and while on the subject of naughty behaviour with computers, Spooks was very good this evening!
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Coincidentally, and while on the subject of naughty behaviour with computers, Spooks was very good this evening!
:y Good job it is not real or I would be worrying.... ;) ;)