Google to offer tracking opt-out to Wi-Fi owners
SAN FRANCISCO
(AP)
–
Google is making a concession to give owners of residential wireless networks greater privacy.
In a change announced Tuesday, Google will
prevent residential wireless systems from being listed in a database
that helps the company track people on cell phones.
The
adjustment is a response to concerns raised in Europe. Regulators there
have periodically looked into whether Google's mapping services violate
Europe's privacy laws.
To avoid trouble,
Google will permit owners of wireless networks to opt out of the
company's tracking technology. The option will be available worldwide in
the autumn.
Google relies on the signals from
wireless, or Wi-Fi, networks scattered around neighborhoods to get a
better handle on locations of someone on a cell phone using Google's
Android software or other services. The company says the Wi-Fi networks
don't reveal people's identities.
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