Missouri AG wants Google’s Street View to stop spying on us

Google, you’ve got mail.

Specifically, you’ve got a letter from Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. He’s asking the company to detail what personal information may have been collected from citizens while Googlers cruised the streets, recording images to use in the search engine’s Street View mapping function.

People have sued Google over privacy concerns in other states, including a federal class-action suit filed in Oregon in May. The International Business Times reports that Google has admitted to accidentally recording personal information, including e-mails and other private communication sent over public Wi-Fi networks, while photographing streets around the world.

“We expect Google to provide information

to us so we can ascertain whether there is any threat to Missourians’ private

information, and take action if necessary to protect it,” Koster said Friday.

Koster wants to know what data was collected by Google in Missouri, how it was used, and who else got to see it. He requested that Google preserve all information collected from Missouri residents until after his inquiry is complete.