A recent news item on the BBC website reported that Google is going to be the subject of an investigation into privacy concerns following its Streetview activities. There have been some people arguing that the peeping-over-the-fence mounted cameras in the streetview cars invades their privacy, but the new investigation is looking into the way that the streetview data collection accessed some unsecured wireless networks in order to gather personal data. According to Alan Eustace, Google's senior vice president of engineering and research,

Google mistakenly collected network names and unique numbers given to wireless routers by tapping into “open, non-password protected Wi-Fi networks” while gathering information in Europe for Street View

However, the Australian Attorney General, Robert McClelland has ordered the Australian Federal Police to look in to the matter.

Last month, google halted the streetview vehicles in response to privacy concerns. Other coutries including France, Germany and Spain have launched similar probes into the inadvertant collection of wireless data. Italy, Canada and Hong Kong are considering similar steps.

If the findings of the investigations rule that Google has illegally obtained personal information, it could be the start of a huge legal process involving many coutries and many thousands of people, and could even force google to suspend some of it local based services.