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When it comes to Street View and the collection of sensitive WiFi data, Google is, at least to some degree, safe from serious penalties in New Zealand. A police investigation has determined that the company didn’t violate any laws.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff referred the matter to police in June, which seemed to put Google in a precarious position. Logic dictated that Shroff wouldn’t call in law enforcement for no reason, after all.
But fortunately for the search giant, New Zealand police said in a statement today, "An investigation by Police has determined that there is no evidence to suggest a criminal offence has been committed."
Detective Senior Sergeant John van den Heuvel of the Police National Cyber Crime Centre just suggested, "Anyone using Wi-Fi needs to ensure they have appropriate security measures in place. People should not underestimate the risk that information they broadcast might be accessed by others, either inadvertently or for more sinister purposes."
Now the ball is back in the privacy commissioner’s (figurative) court, and she hasn’t made clear whether her office will take further action or not.
We’ll be sure to report any other noteworthy developments that occur.
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