May 23, 2012 How Google Collected Data From Wi-Fi Networks
While taking pictures for its Street View project, Google also recorded Internet traffic from open Wi-Fi networks in homes and businesses. To capture the images and the data, Google used cars equipped with roof-mounted cameras and computer hardware.
By RITCHIE S. KING and MIKA GRONDAHL
Sources: Federal Communications Commission; Verizon Wireless; Sam Madden, computer scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology