MO grabs portion of Google settlement cash

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster yesterday joined a $7 million settlement with Google, absolving claims the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's Street View vehicles collected data from unsecured wireless networks nationwide.

Set to receive $324,000, Missouri is one of 39 states to collect from the settlement, which alleged that between January 2008 and March 2010, Google's Street View cars collected the data while taking pictures for its mapping service, according to a news release.

Google discontinued the practice in March 2010, and under the settlement, agreed to delete all data collected and to discontinue the collection of unsecured wireless information.

“I was concerned for the privacy of Missourians when we learned of Google Street View’s data collection,” Koster said in the release. “We were pleased that Google agreed in 2010 to stop collecting the data.  

"Thanks to this settlement, all the data Google improperly collected will be destroyed, so Missourians will not have to worry that their private information could be used without their knowledge.”

According to a New York Times report, the collected data included passwords, email and other personal information.