Google cannot contain its legal problems surrounding the inadvertent collection of personal data from WiFi networks by ots global fleet of Street View cars. Earlier today, police in South Korea raided Google’s offices  there to confiscate computers storing data collected from Street View cars in that country. This action follows similar investigations in France, Germany, the UK (where Google was cleared), and a multi-state investigation in the U.S.

Google was preparing to launch Street View in Korea and had deployed a fleet of vehicles equipped with cameras and WiFi-sniffing technology to collect street-level images for Google Maps. The cars use fixed Wifi networks to help determine their location, but these cars have been found to be collecting personal payload data as well. In the past, Google has explained that this data collection was “a mistake” stemming from the inclusion of some experimental code from a previous WiFi project.

Google stated last May that it grounded its Street View fleet once it discovered this problem to strip out the personal data and, presumably, the bad code. It is not clear whether Google forgot to strip the code in Korea, or the Korean authorities are reacting to the news from May and investigating data collected before then. But that one piece of code is proving to be a huge liability for Google.

By KRISTEN GELINEAU

The Associated Press
Sunday, June 6, 2010; 2:19 PM

SYDNEY -- Australia announced a police investigation Sunday into whether Google illegally collected private information from wireless networks, becoming at least the second country to probe the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service.

The Australian criminal investigation comes as more regulators and consumers watchdogs around the world are complaining that Google doesn't take people's privacy seriously enough. Google maintains that its users' privacy is one of the company's highest priorities.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected fragments of data over public Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries while it was taking pictures of neighborhoods for the Street View feature. Google said it discovered the problem after German regulators launched an inquiry into the matter.

Also last month, the head of the House Judiciary Committee in the U.S., Michigan Democrat John Conyers, sent letters to Google and Facebook urging them to cooperate with any government privacy inquiries. Conyers asked Google to retain the data until any inquiries are complete.

The Australian probe follows questions over whether Google employees taking photographs for the mapping service violated the country's privacy laws.

"In light of concerns having been raised by the public, my department thought there were issues of substance that were raised that require police investigation," Australia's Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland told journalists in Melbourne.

The case was referred to the Australian Federal Police on Friday, he said. It will focus on whether the company breached the country's telecommunications interceptions act, which prevents people accessing electronic communications other than for authorized purposes, he said.

Google has characterized its collection of snippets from e-mails and Web surfing done on public Wi-Fi networks as an error and said it has taken steps to avoid a recurrence.

"This was a mistake," Google said in a statement on the Australian case. "We are talking to the appropriate authorities to answer any questions they have."

Street View provides photographs of neighborhoods taken by Google cameras. The service has been enormously controversial in Germany and other countries as privacy groups and authorities fear that people - filmed without their consent - could be seen doing things they didn't want to be seen doing or in places where they didn't want to be seen.

Last month, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, addressing the Australian accusations, said Google was responsible for the "single greatest breach in the history of privacy."

May 16, 2010

For many years, tech fans have known that Steve Jobs will occasionally respond to messages directed to his well-publicized email address. Most of the time his responses consist of snappy one-liners, often containing a nugget of new information. But it’s rare to hear about a full-on debate, with Jobs offering some rationale behind Apple’s highly controversial decisions. That’s exactly what happened last night, when Gawker writer Ryan Tate got irritated by an Apple ad describing the iPad as “a revolution” and shot off an email to Steve Jobs. Three hours later, at nearly 1AM, Jobs replied, and a passionate email debate ensued.

Steve Jobs...

"Yep, freedom from programs that steal your private data. Freedom from programs that trash your battery. Freedom from porn. Yep, freedom. The times they are a changin’, and some traditional PC folks feel like their world is slipping away. It is."

JITLA

•    We have a mantra (mission statement): THE GOLDEN RULE. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…Starting with NO PORN.  Which is to say we will do the best things we know how for our users, for our customers, for everyone in a way that defines right action in a massive way. – Michael Canfield

•    Jitla will never be all things to all people.  It will stand for the high ground of propriety.  And when in doubt we will choose right over wrong, good over evil, ethical over un-ethical.  If you want the right answer from people of integrity look for us. – Michael Canfield

•    The ultimate search engine will basically consist of  “state of the art technology” guided by high minded people of integrity, guiding both human and technological advances – Michael Canfield

•    As we go forward I promise God and you to continue to use technology and our human resources to do goodly works to the best of my ability.  May I be judged after my departure based on a comparison of accomplishments to our mantra mission statement and may it be the guiding light for those that follow me forever – Michael Canfield

Google:

•    "We have a mantra (mission statement): don't be evil, which is to do the best things we know how for our users, for our customers, for everyone. So I think if we were known for that, it would be a wonderful thing." - Larry Page

•    "The ultimate search engine would basically understand everything in the world, and it would always give you the right thing. And we're a long, long ways from that." - Larry Page

•    "As we go forward, I hope we're going to continue to use technology to make really big differences in how people live and work." - Sergey Brin

•    "Obviously everyone wants to be successful, but I want to be looked back on as being very innovative, very trusted and ethical and ultimately making a big difference in the world." - Sergey Brin
Look at Google and JITLA today.  April 26, 2010

GOOGLE TODAY

1. Young surfers (any age) are given access to pornography.
2. Google encourages ease of access to porn by corning every key word related to porn in the world.
3. Largest pornography access provider in the world.
4. Google [GOOG] has quietly dropped its "Don't be evil" motto as part of a broad strategy to refresh its image. This shift in its corporate PR includes focusing media attention on key executives such as the very photogenic Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Product and User.
5. NEW YORK -- An organization of more than 8,000 authors accused Google on Tuesday of "massive copyright infringement," saying the powerful internet search engine cannot put its books in the public domain for commercial use without permission.
6. March 10, 2010  Wednesday's lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court by the American Society of Media Photographers and others who were not permitted to join a $125 million class-action settlement over digitized books, which is pending in the same court.   The new lawsuit also seeks class-action status on behalf of photographers and illustrators whose works are contained in books covered by the earlier settlement.

JITLA TODAY

1. JITLA launches a campaign to incorporate sensible use of the internet through an investment risk and reward opportunity that would be outside the reach of every day folks referred to as the JITLA VOUCHER for those folks that want a clean internet environment for their kids… all for the price a book.  http://www.jitla.com
2. JITLA launches a new partnership called the Co-operative Community in part to share the corporate culture and give folks the opportunity to participate in the exciting growth of JITLA and an opportunity to develop a true service business on a part time bases that could serve as a replacement or fulfill their need for employment commencing on J DAY.  http://www.jitla.org