LONDON—Police here are investigating a privacy group’s complaint that Google Inc. broke the law by collecting data from wireless networks, joining several other law-enforcement bodies across the globe that are conducing similar probes.
Countries including Germany, Spain, France, Australia and New Zealand have launched investigations into Google’s disclosure that camera-equipped vehicles the company had been using to mark the location of wireless networks and take pictures for its Street View service had been collecting data from non-password protected wireless networks inadvertently for years.
State and federal authorities in the U.S. are also investigating the matter. At the time of the admission in April, the Mountain View, Calif., company said it had made a mistake. Google said later it didn’t believe it had broken U.S. law but has declined to comment on whether it believes it has violated laws overseas.
In London, the complaint about Google was filed recently by Privacy International, a privacy rights group. Privacy International alleges that Google violated the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and the Wireless Telegraphy Act, both of which include regulations about the interception of communications.
London police didn’t identify Google in a statement on the matter. National authorities in the U.K. so far haven’t announced a probe.
“The Metropolitan Police Service has received a complaint regarding alleged access to online activities broadcast over unprotected home and business Wi-Fi networks. The matter is now under consideration,” a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said Tuesday. “It has yet to be determined what, if any, offenses may have allegedly occurred.”
A Google spokeswoman said the company was cooperating with relevant investigations. “As we have said before, this was a mistake,” she said. “We are working with the relevant authorities to answer their questions and concerns.”
Simon Davies, the head of Privacy International, said he hoped the criminal complaint would lead to a full-blown investigation, which would figure out whether the company in fact broke U.K. privacy laws. “I suspect that the world’s law enforcement authorities will be looking to Britain to create a benchmark investigation,” he said.
