Google Wi-fi plan for San Francisco draws scrutiny of privacy advocates
Google's plan to provide free wireless Internet access throughout San Francisco is raising concerns among privacy advocates worried about the loss of privacy and anonymity of users.
Google has proposed to track users' locations and use that data to match them with advertising from neighborhood businesses. Google said it would keep the information for up to 180 days before deleting it.
But privacy advocates are worried the information Google collects on wireless Internet surfers could be used by law enforcement agencies and private litigators to place users under surveillance.
Google told the New York Times that it intends to work closely with the city of San Francisco and Wi-fi partner EarthLink to address any privacy concerns.
