Google tells lawmakers it never used data accidentally collected while mapping Wi-Fi networks

Google tells lawmakers it never used Wi-Fi data

WASHINGTON — Google Inc. is telling lawmakers that it never dissected or used any of the information that it accidentally sucked up while collecting data about public Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries.

In a letter to three key members of the House Commerce Committee, the company apologized for collecting fragments of e-mails, search requests and other online activities over unencrypted Wi-Fi networks while photographing neighborhoods for its “Street View” mapping feature.

Pablo Chavez, Google’s director of public policy, wrote in the letter that the “collection of Wi-Fi payload data was a mistake.”

Google says it was gathering information about the location of Wi-Fi networks to improve the accuracy of location-based services such as Google Maps.