FCC probe into Google reveals new details over Street View controversy

A report by the Federal Communications Commission into Google’s use of its Street View service has found the engineer who built software that could inadvertently capture private data from WiFi networks told a superior he had done so.

According to various reports, the company had not originally wanted the report to be published.

“We decided to voluntarily make the entire document available except for the names of individuals,” Google spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker told the LA Times. “While we disagree with some of the statements made in the document, we agree with the FCC’s conclusion that we did not break the law. We hope that we can now put this matter behind us.”

The report found the engineer who created the software that caught private data from Wi-Fi networks had declined to speak with the FCC, but it was revealed he told two other engineers that he had collected data.

The revelation of the privacy breach caused a furore in 2010, especially in Australia where politicians and industry leaders condemned the search giant.