German prosecutors have launched a criminal investigating over whether Google wear data protection regulations when it collected fragments of Wi - Fi data while shooting imagery for its function app .

The probe , conducted by the Hamburg Prosecutor ’s Office , follows Google ’s admission that it mistakenly take in the substance of communications from non - password protected Wi - Fi internet using its Street View vehicles , which photograph street for the Google Maps service .

The Hamburg prosecutor ’s office is at an early stage in the case , spokesman Wilhelm Möllers enunciate Thursday .

Möllers said his post will inquire how Google was collecting the datum , but that it may be at least two weeks before a decisiveness is made whether to file charges .

Google tell it call for Wi - Fi web data point , such as SSID ( Service Set Identifier ) data and MAC ( Media Access Control ) speech . The troupe said it only collected fragments of personal World Wide Web dealings as its Wi - Fi equipment automatically change channels five times a mo . Wi - Fi electronic web can expect several megabytes of data per second .

The criminal investigation check off an additional problem for Google in Germany , which has been under ongoing examination from Hamburg ’s Data Protection Agency .

The Data Protection Agency has the power to appraise penalization against Google , and has asked the caller to flex over by next Wednesday a hard parkway from one the vehicle collecting the information , accord to an official from the delegacy .

“ We have several problems with Street View and more problem with WLAN ” scanning , she said .

Although Google has collected Street View data for Germany , the service has not been launched there . Google has not yet fully reply to a stage set of 13 points compiled by the Data Protection Agency that it says are necessary to comply with German practice of law , she say .

One of those point is agree to delete images of peoples ’ homes from Street View before those images go live , she say . In other venue , Google will remove an image on petition , but only after publication .

Germany ’s privacy law generally restrain exposure of masses and property without a mortal ’s consent , except in very public situations , such as a sporting event .

The Data Protection Agency alsorequestedthat Google more good fuzz peoples ’ face and that those partially censor images be permanently blue-pencil from its database .

Italy ’s datum protection authority and the French National Commission on Computing and Liberty ( CNIL ) are also survey Google ’s Wi - Fi scanning . The U.K. ’s Information Commissioner ’s Office said Google appeared to have breached data point auspices requirements , but that it would not pursue the company after Google agreed to delete the information .