UK Authorities Find No Personal Information in Google Collected Data

Most parties involved have stayed quiet lately regarding Google collecting personal Wi-Fi data. But now the UK Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a statement saying that it is satisfied that the Google data does not contain any personally identifiable information, at least in the UK, based on its inspection of the data collected.

"On the basis of the samples we saw we are satisfied so far that it is unlikely that Google will have captured significant amounts of personal data," the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said in a statement. "There is also no evidence as yet that the data captured by Google has caused or could cause any individual detriment."

ICO representatives traveled to Google headquarters earlier this month to review the data. Samples of the data collected in the UK were investigated. In those particular samples, ICO found absolutely no personal data. It doesn’t discount the possibility that there are snippets of personal data in the 19 million or so records Google collected in the UK. However, based on what it has seen, it believes that it is unlikely that any such data, even if it were there, would have caused any harm or inconvenience for any UK citizen.

ICO initially instructed Google to destroy the data as it believed that there was no reason to suspect foul play from the company. Following complaints from Privacy International, who decided that the fact that Google collected the data proved criminal intent, and others, ICO investigated the matter. It has now concluded that there has been no harm and will communicate its findings to the other parties.

However, it says that regulators in other countries may find otherwise and that it may change its decision if other evidence comes forwards. Google is still under investigation in other countries. The matter is also being reviewed by the UK Metropolitan Police.

Previous coverage of the Google Wi-Fi Data Collection blunder:

- German Officials ‘Horrified’ by Google Street View WiFi Snooping
- Google Details Its Wi-Fi Data-Collection Policies
- Google Admits to Collecting Personal Wi-Fi Data
- Google’s Personal Wi-Fi Data Debacle Unravels
- Google Stops Deleting Personal Wi-Fi Data It Collected
- Google Refuses to Hand Over Wi-Fi Data to Regulators
- Media Scaremongering in the Google Wi-Fi Blunder
- Google to Hand Over Wi-Fi Data to European Regulators
- Google Wi-Fi Audit Proves Criminal Intent, Says Privacy Group
- Attorneys General from 30 US States Are Considering Pressing Charges Against Google
- Google Street View Wi-Fi Data Contains Passwords, Emails, France Says
- Google Under Police Investigation in the UK with the US Possibly Following
- Google Street View Cars Hit the Road Again 
- Google Gets Off with an Apology in Australia