Conn. AG plans to lead Google investigation

HARTFORD, Conn. – Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office will lead a multistate investigation into Google Inc.’s unauthorized collection of personal data from wireless computer networks, Bloomberg News reported.
Connecticut and states including Massachusetts and Illinois are demanding information on what Google calls the inadvertent gathering of data from wireless networks, such as e-mail and passwords, as it took pictures of streets and houses for its Street View service. The company’s response so far “raises as many questions as it answers,” Blumenthal said last week.
“The company must provide a complete and comprehensive explanation of how this unauthorized data collection happened, why the information was kept if collection was inadvertent and what action will prevent a recurrence,” he said.
Blumenthal said that attorneys general and their representatives from more than 30 states discussed the company’s actions in a conference call. He said he expects “a significant number of states” to participate in the investigation.
“It was a mistake for us to include code in our software that collected payload data, but we believe we did nothing illegal,” Christine Chen, a Google spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. “We’re working with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns.” &#8226