The Electronic Privacy Information Center is concerned about Google Street View practices. Their vehicles have been doing more than taking pictures; they've been sweeping up all sorts of data, including wi-fi system data.
Concerns were first raised in Europe when it was discovered that Google was snooping on wi-fi nets, but European officials have taken a mild attitude to the snooping.
EPIC reports:
"Last week, Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA), Joe Barton (R-TX), and
Edward Markey (D-MA) wrote a detailed letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt
requesting specific details on the type and scope of information
collected by Google's Street View vehicles. This letter follows a May
18, 2010 letter from EPIC to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Chairman Julius Genachoski, recommending the Commission open an
investigation into the significant communications privacy issues
arising from the data collected by Google's Street View vehicles and a
May 19, 2010 letter from Congressmen Joe Barton (R-TX) and Edward
Markey (D-MA) to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Liebowitz
inquiring into the legality of Google's actions and asking the
Commission to investigate.
"Over the past two months it has been made public that Google's Street
View vehicles have been collecting more than just a 360 degree
photographic street view for Google Maps when they drove through cities
worldwide. Google was also collecting data on wi-fi signal strength,
level of encryption, unique identifiers associated to open (i.e.
non-password-protected) wi-fi signals known as SSIDs and MAC addresses,
and the actual data being sent over the wi-fi connections (payload
data). All of this data was collected intentionally to support Google's
location services, with the exception of the payload data, which Google
claims was captured in error.
"Google admits it has been collecting this communication data for years,
but never disclosed this activity prior to the audit request. In its
letter, EPIC highlighted Google's invasion of privacy and possible
violation of the Wiretap Act, which states, in part: "No person not
being authorized by the sender shall intercept any radio communications
and divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport,
effect, or meaning of such intercepted communications to any person."
"On request by each respective data protection authority, Google has
deleted payload data collected for Ireland, Austria, and Denmark and
has kept data by request for Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Germany,
Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. However, Google has stated that it
believes that all other collected data is legal because the data is
publicly broadcasted information. In response to the public outcry,
Google has stated that its Street View vehicles will no longer collect
any wi-fi data.
House Members' Letter to Google
http://www.epic.org/redirect/060410houselettergoogle.html
BTW, if Google is doing these electronic street sweeps, what are governments doing?
A journalist group slammed Israeli authorities for seizing footage from foreign journalists aboard the Gaza aid flotilla and then distributing edited versions of the footage.
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement denouncing "Israel's editing and distribution of footage confiscated from foreign journalists aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla that was raided on Monday."
The statement continued:
"On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces spokesman's office released edited portions of confiscated video on its YouTube channel, where the footage was labeled as "captured". The Foreign Press Association in Israel, which represents hundreds of foreign correspondents in Israel, says the military "is selectively using footage to bolster its claims that commandos opened fire only after being attacked," The Associated Press reported.
"CPJ called on the Israeli government to immediately return all equipment, notes, and footage confiscated from journalists. "Israel has confiscated journalistic material and then manipulated it to serve its interests," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. "It must cease this practice without delay, and return all property seized from journalists who were covering this legitimate news event."
"Journalists have complained of mistreatment during the raid. Al-Jazeera cameraman Issam Zaatar told the Qatar-based channel that as he was filming the raid an Israeli soldier struck him with a stun gun. He said he suffered a broken arm and his camera was damaged during the altercation.
"Gadijah Davids, a South African radio journalist, also had her equipment confiscated, according to her station, Radio 786. Rushni Ali, the station manager, told CPJ that Davids is in Turkey and will be leaving for South Africa on Friday. The South African government provided emergency travel documents for Davids because she "had nothing with her: no clothes, no travel document, no equipment," Ali told CPJ.
"Paul McGeough, Sydney Morning Herald chief correspondent, told his newspaper that the raid was "very ugly". He accused Israel of "absolute disrespect" with regard to the way that he and other reporters were treated. "Our job requires us to get the stories, and to reveal things that are not otherwise being revealed," McGough said in a phone interview that appears on the paper's Web site. "As Israel's appalling handling of the flotilla demonstrates, you need journalists there to bear witness, to reveal what is happening out there."
"CPJ's Abdel Dayem said: "The treatment meted out to our colleagues is unacceptable. It is Israel's responsibility to conduct its operations in ways that also allow journalists to report the news."
http://www.cpj.org/
Journalist is among the flotilla dead, reports the International Federation of Journalists
Here is the statement:
(IFJ/IFEX) - 4 June 2010 - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), with the backing of its affiliate in Israel, today called for a special inquiry into the killing of a journalist and injuries to others during the Israeli assault on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid which took place on June 1.
"We now know that one journalist died and at least one other is seriously injured in horrifying circumstances that remain unexplained," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "We are also gathering information about the treatment of journalists and the confiscation of their material, all of which raises new concerns about the violations of their rights."
The IFJ says that a specific inquiry into the treatment of journalists is required because around 100 of the people detained by the Israeli authorities were thought to be journalists from across the globe including Australia, Algeria, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, the UK, Italy, Iran, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and UAE.
The media victims are Turkish journalist Cevdet Kılıçlar, killed by a shot to the head, and Indonesian cameraman Sura Fachrizaz, who was shot in the chest and seriously injured. Fachrizaz is in a hospital in Haifa and his injuries are not considered life threatening.
The IFJ is in touch with reporters involved as well as a number of unions representing media staff, and is compiling information on the material that was confiscated by the Israeli authorities.
Marcello Faraggi, a journalist who was on board the Mediterranean Sea, a cargo ship which was part of the aid convoy and was later detained in the Israeli prison of Bersheva, told the IFJ that journalists were subjected to a body search and stripped of their equipment during their detention.
A special information collection point has been established to prepare a dossier on the incident, which will form the basis of the journalists' claims for compensation in the aftermath.
The IFJ affiliate in Israel, the National Federation of Israel Journalists (NFIJ), which has been assisting journalists and gathering information, should also be involved in any inquiry into the treatment of journalists, says the IFJ.
The NFIJ section in Jerusalem, the Journalists Association in Jerusalem, has specifically urged the Israeli government to immediately give back all the equipment that was confiscated from the journalists on the boats. "Journalists on duty should be left out of any confrontation and should have the full freedom to cover the events in a professional way," they said in a statement.
Further concerns have been raised about the broadcasting by Israeli authorities of material confiscated from journalists, which is being used to project the authorities' version of events.
"This is shocking disregard for the rights of journalists," said White. "The confiscation and then unauthorized use of journalists' footage shows the contempt that the Israeli authorities have for journalism."
Chinese journalism 101. Chinese journalists are expected to report the real news (who, what, where, when) to commie bosses and present sanitized, massaged "news" to the masses, a Xinhua official explained to Chinese journalism students.
His lecture was covertly recorded and put on the internet. Andrew Jacobs's story is in yesterday's New York Times.
9/11 fallback maneuver. Yes, there is a coverup concerning 9/11, but it's not an inside job being concealed. Rather it's the U.S. government not wanting to confront Saudi Arabia over the purported role of members of Saudi royalty or other Saudis. That's the line being peddled via Fox News of late.
Basically, Fox represents a component of the power elite that has decided that the government's official tale about 9/11 is indefensible. But the real bad guys who pulled off the inside job must still be protected.
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