Agency Says Google Saved Passwords when Collecting Data for Street View

Google apparently “saved passwords for access to mailboxes” and obtained “content of electronic messages” when collecting data for its Street View service, according to a French agency’s preliminary investigation into the practices of the U.S. company.

The French National Commission on Computing and Liberty said it is examining data that Google gave the agency as it continues its review of how Google collected data carried on unencrypted Wi-Fi networks in France.

The CNIL’s inquiry is focused on whether Google undertook “unfair and unlawful collection of data, without the knowledge of those concerned,” and whether the company acted in a way that led to an “invasion of privacy and individual liberties.”