State to Receive $147,000 Settlement From Google

New Jersey will be on the receiving end of a $147,000 share of a $7 million pool Google agreed to pay as part of a settlement to resolve allegations the Internet search company improperly collected private data during mapping for its Street View product, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday.

According to the NorthJersey.com report, Google was alleged to have collected data from unsecured wireless networks while it was taking photos for the online application between 2008 and 2010.

The company deployed cars equipped with antennae and software to collect network identification information for use in future services that tracked users’ locations. Google acknowledged, as part of the settlement, that information it collected may have included specific web page information and e-mail communications being transmitted while the vehicles were driving by. The company has said it didn’t know personal data was being collected.

“This settlement is significant because it recognizes the privacy rights of individuals whose information was collected by Google without their permission,” New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said via a statement. “This is a fair resolution of the states’ complaints, and should send a message to the industry about the importance of respecting the privacy of consumers.”

“We work hard to get privacy right at Google. But in this case we didn't, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue,” Google said in a statement, noting the project wasn’t searching for this type of data and didn’t use it for any projects.