Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Google collects information on wireless networks for a very specific purpose - determining location to speed up or replace GPS. Skyhook Wireless is another company that sells the information obtained from wardriving.

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/1725632?hl=en

Are you saying this service was shut down despite all indications to the contrary, or are you disputing the method used to collect this data?




I was referring to the StreetView Skyhook-like program that did exist, and yes, it was shut down after it was discovered to be collecting more than just SSIDs:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-...

  In addition, given the concerns raised, we have
  decided that it’s best to stop our Street View
  cars collecting WiFi network data entirely.
I presume this is what the OP meant by "war driving (street view)", and not the on-device collection you refer to.


Wardriving actually specifically refers to "the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer, smartphone or personal digital assistant" per Wikipedia.

It looks like that blog post only states that they deleted the erroneously collected network data.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardriving




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: