Conn. AG demands access to data grabbed by Google

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Friday demanded that Google provide access to data the company said it accidentally collected from public Wi-Fi networks.

The Democratic U.S. senator-elect said he and the state Consumer Protection Department issued a "civil investigative demand," which is like a subpoena, that says Google must provide access to the data by Dec. 17 or face being taken to court.

In May, Google announced that it had inadvertently collected fragments of people's online activities from unsecured Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries while taking photographs for its Street View mapping service.

Google's disclosure prompted investigations around the globe. Blumenthal and officials in nearly 40 other states have been seeking to review the information to see if Google improperly accessed e-mails, passwords and other private data.

"Verifying Google's data snare is crucial to assessing a penalty and assuring no repeat," Blumenthal said in a statement. "Consumers and businesses expect and deserve a full explanation, as well as measures shielding them from future spying."

The company apologized again in a statement Friday, saying it never wanted the information and hasn't used it in any products or services.

"We want to delete this data as soon as possible and will continue to work with authorities to determine the best way forward, as well as to answer their further questions and concerns," the statement said.

Blumenthal said Google first said the data it gathered was fragmented, but later acknowledged that it might have captured entire e-mails and other information. He also said Google has refused to give his office access to the information while allowing Canadian and other authorities to review it.

"We will fight to compel Google to come clean," Blumenthal said.

View the original article here

India seeking BlackBerry access from companies

NEW DELHI — The Indian government is talking to companies using Research in Motion's BlackBerry to gain access to their employees' secure communications when it is deemed necessary, an official told the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said Home Secretary G.K. Pillai also responded to reports that BlackBerry could be blocked if the government's security concerns over the device were not met by the end of January.

Pilliai said such reports were overblown. Jan. 31 was "more of a target date," he said.

"We're trying to find solutions where everybody's interests are in one sense protected," Pillai said. "It's going to take a little time, because it's a new technology."

The company has already provided a solution for the BlackBerry Messenger chat service that would be in place by the end of January, Pillai said.

India had threatened to shut off RIM's encrypted email and instant messaging services unless it gains access to them, in a campaign driven by fears that unmonitored communication puts the country's security at risk.

RIM says it is confident India's security concerns could be resolved to its and the government's mutual satisfaction.

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

View the original article here