Conn. attorney general: Google admits to collecting public Wi-Fi data for mapping service

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Conn. AG: Google gathered public Wi-Fi data to map

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut’s attorney general says Google has informed his office that it collected data over the state’s public wireless networks in 2008 for its mapping service.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a Tuesday press conference that he would continue pressing the search engine company to find out what’s been done with the data gathered for its Street View feature.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press that data was gathered from Connecticut two years ago.

Blumenthal says it could give Google access to personal e-mails, passwords and web browsing histories, though he has no reports of any problems.

Last month, Google acknowledged it had mistakenly collected data over public Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.

Missouri’s attorney general and authorities in Germany and Australia have also launched separate investigations.