Hamburg, Germany Fines Google $189K Over Street View Privacy Violations

Regulators around Europe preparing to pounce on Google as well

German data protection officials have handed down a 145,000 Euro ($189,000) fine against Google for the unauthorized collection of data traveling over Wi-Fi networks via its Street View cars.

Between 2008 and 2010, the equipment attached to Google's Street View vehicles not only collected 360-degree mapping images, but also data from unencrypted wireless networks within range, according to Hamburg data protection commissioner Johannes Caspar. That included emails, passwords, photos, and chat logs. Google has been ordered to delete the offending information.