Attorney General Martha Coakley of Massachusetts is the latest Attorney General to join efforts to find out whether Google Inc. has collected personal information from citizens without their permission.
Google suspended its Wi-Fi mapping operations in May.
Google's collection of private information is being examined or challenged around the world. Attorneys general of 30 states, including Coakley, held a conference call last week to consider joint action against the company. The Federal Trade Commission is studying Google's privacy practices, and on Capitol Hill, Representative Edward Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Representative Joe Barton, Republican of Texas, co chairmen of the House Privacy Caucus, earlier this month demanded more information regarding its relevant policies. Dissatisfied with a detailed response from Google, Barton has called for hearings on the matter.
The company is also under investigation in several countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and Australia. Yesterday, French investigators analyzing data provided by Google said the company had captured people's Internet passwords and e-mail addresses without permission from the individuals.
In addition, Google has been hit by three class-action lawsuits, including one filed last month by Galaxy Internet Services Inc. of Newton. The lawsuit, which seeks $10 million in damages, contends that Google illegally collected Internet data from Galaxy's paying customers, and from people using its free wireless Internet services in Boston's Faneuil Hall, Government Center, and Grove Hall areas.
Google has confessed error in the matter, but not wrongdoing. ``It was a mistake for us to include code in our soft-ware that collected [sensitive information], but we don't believe we did anything illegal,'' said the company in an e-mailed statement. ``We're working with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns.''
Last month, Google revealed it had inadvertently collected about 600 gigabytes of data from wireless Internet users. The information was collected as Google used cars equipped with cameras, GPS navigation systems, and Wi-Fi receivers to generate maps of cities around the world.
Every Wi-Fi device transmits a unique identification code. By matching the code with the location of the router, Google can create a Wi-Fi map of a city. A cell phone owner can use that map to pinpoint his own location, or find other nearby places of interest. But in the process of collecting router codes, Google also picked up the information being transmitted over the routers. That information could include such private information as users' names and the content of e-mail messages.
