Today, an independent French administrative authority (CNIL) has fined Google for 100'000 euros (141K$) because of the private data captured by Google Street View cars.

You can read my article (in French) here http://www.zorgloob.com/2011/03/21/google-street-view-cnil/ but there are examples, translated by Google Translate of course, of what the CNIL has been able to discover in the hard disks of the cars... AND IT'S FREAKY AWESOME.

<< [in one hard disk] the Commission was able to isolate 656 MB of data for web browsing, revealing the presence of 112 passwords for access to web sites (http) and many data connection dating sites and porn sites. By doing a simple keyword query, the Commission also isolated 6 MB of data access to mailboxes, including 72 e-mail passwords. Among the data for sending mail (SMTP), the CNIL has identified 124 email addresses on both senders recipients.>>

Examples of data discovered:
<<
   – On June 2, 2008, at 12:46, a user located by GPS data near a very specific address in the city of Marseille, accessing a pornographic website image called straightboysjerkoff[DOT]com, to which he belongs. The ID he uses on the site is registered without encryptation, and his password and IP address on the internal network, connected to its access point. The SSID and MAC address of the access point are known to Google but were removed from the information provided to the CNIL.

   – On October 21, 2008 at 13:05 a user located by GPS near the Place Anne de Beaujeu, in TOURS (37000), accessing a gay chat rencontres[DOT]gayvox[DOT]com. Its IP address on the internal network connected to the access point was recorded.

   – On March 26, 2009 at 15:03, a user can be located very precisely by using its GPS coordinates on the Departemental Road #118 (north of Carcassonne) accesses an online dating mes-rencontres-sexy[DOT]com. He is a member of this site. The identifier is known by Google, as the password and IP address on the internal network connected to its access point. Again, the SSID and MAC address of access point that Google users are known but have been deleted the information provided to the CNIL. Before arriving at the site, according to the cookies that were intercepted, the user has done research on the following Google search: "Free naughty encounter".

- Google cars have also intercepted the scraps of access to care system online, close to the Mutualist Surgical Clinic located at Verrier street at Saint-Etienne (42100). These snippets refer in particular to carefully proscribed by a health professional named, and the path to the documents sought refers to a tool for management of patients in hospitals.

   – It was also possible to see an email exchange between a woman and a married man, seeking both an extramarital affair. The GPS coordinates associated with this request, identified clear link to a specific address (a number of streets in a city of the Rhône department). The persons concerned are identified by their first names and email addresses.
>>

scary, isn't it?

Lesson: encrypt your f***** wireless network, use proxies, use disposable email addresses and if you're going to have an affair or watch porn, do it outside working hours. Unless you're "feeling lucky".