Google to Pay $7 Million for Privacy Violations in 38 States

In a settlement that involved thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia, Google has agreed to pay $7M for privacy violations and unauthorized collection of people’s personal data. The software on its Street View cars enabled Google to intercept Wi-Fi communications and secretly capture emails, passwords, and other sensitive information such as financial and medical records. The data sent over millions of unencrypted, worldwide wireless networks was illegally acquired by Google in a practice that occurred from 2008 to 2010. Google claims that the data collected was not used in any of the search engine giant’s services. The company has agreed to destroy all information collected in the United States. European countries are working individually with Google to resolve the privacy breach.