Zee Media Bureau
Washington: After a long legal battle, Internet search giant Google has reportedly asked the US Supreme Court to settle its `Street View` privacy lawsuit.
It`s still uncertain whether the country`s highest court will hear the case. However, if it does, the ruling may have major consequences for the privacy of unprotected Wi-Fi networks.
According to a leading tech website, the case centres on Street View`s Wi-Fi sniffing program, which would automatically scan unencrypted networks Street View cars as a way of verifying the car`s location.
Many considered the program as a violation of privacy, which led to a series of lawsuits by both states and individuals.
Even if Google maintained that the Wi-Fi sniffing was not illegal, claiming the signals were “readily available to the public,” a class action lawsuit was pushed against it by the federal appeals court in September.
With Agency Inputs