Thursday, October 28, 2010

Google street view wi-fi issue

One more thing for today.. I still can't grasp all hoopla on Google's street view car recording SSIDs of the house.. Anything which is shown or available to public from your house is more of public property. Say for example you keep table/chair on street so anyone who wants can pick it up. Similarly if you are playing music in your house which can be heard by neighbors, neighbors can complaint about it as it comes to public domain..

Similarly when you broadcast your home Wi-Fi signal outside your house, any one on street has right to connect to it and see it. Google is not coming inside your house and grabbing your signal or connecting to your internet. They are simply recording which you are broadcasting outside your house and making it available to world. If I want, I can take iPhone and walk in neighborhood and collect all the data and put it up on my website or blog or somewhere online for everyone. If anyone has problem with it, then they better shut it down or restrict it to inside their house. I think Google is doing service to them by exposing them and telling that this SSID is available on the street and you better secure it.

Bottom-line, I feel all the governments and other organizations are more of envious of Google's success on such a simple thing.. Google has done street view and other search capabilities so nicely and they are trying to make money on it. Nothing is wrong about it. I feel that they have full right to use this information.

I wish Google should start fighting about these things rather than accepting it as mistakes and trying to fix it.

1 comment:

Shai said...

I still gets really mad when I read different allegations or reports that this state is asking for more information..

Why the hell, people don't understand, if you are broadcasting your wi-fi it is in public domain and can be used by anyone.. If you worry so much about it, you shut down your wi-fi service or contain it so no one can catch its signal outside your home on public road.

Somehow, not liking Google on this issue. They ought to fight and explain simple rationale..