The feeling that Big Brother is watching

Google is great. Really? Latest data out of France appears to contradict the popular view that Google is a good influence on the internet.

Sure, the free email, documents and chat have improved the services of major competitors, but there seems to be a dark side to Google which is not so great.

A report out of France suggests Google scooped sensitive data, such as passwords, when putting together its Street View service.

An early look at the information, carried out by French data protection agency CNIL, showed the data was gathered as Goggle logged wi-fi hotspots to help it develop location-based services.

Previously, Google said there was "no harm, no foul" in collecting the data.

CNIL, like many other data protection agencies worldwide, asked Google to hand over copies of the data it gathered to find out if privacy laws had been breached.

BBC News reported that CNIL chairman Alex Turk said Google handed the data to the agency on June 4.

Tech news site IDG reported that CNIL had spotted passwords for email services and chunks of text from messages in its first glance at the data.

Mr Turk said he hoped to decide by September if Google had a case to answer for breaching privacy.

Google said it was working with French authorities and many others and would delete the information it had gathered if asked.

The row has blown up following Google's admission that its Street View cars "accidentally" grabbed data from unsecured wi-fi networks as the vehicles were snapping stills of street scenes in 30 nations.

Google has now stopped gathering data about wi-fi networks.

The revelation led to investigations in Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Several states in the United States are considering filing civil suits for damages over the collection of the data.

Connecticut Attorney-general Richard Blumenthal said last week he would lead a multistate investigation into whether Google's actions broke the law.

US digital rights groups have called for an official "probe" into the issue.

Across the Tasman, the Australian Federal Police are investigating whether Google breached the Telecommunications Interception Act.

It is not the first time Google has been accused of breaching privacy.

Readers may recall a Mack-line about Google Buzz, a program that, when launched, tracked the people you emailed the most from gmail.

After protestation, Google switched off the automatic settings, but there was still the nagging doubt about who could see what on your profile.

Which leads me back to the topic from last week - Hotmail.

My friend, who had his Hotmail address taken over and used by scammers to plead for money, now has a gmail account.

While I have never had any problems with gmail, the fear that our passwords may have been gathered is concerning.

My friend lives in a place Google probably cannot find, but even so, a warning is a warning.

Microsoft seems very casual about the issue of the Hotmail hijacking.

The following is a response from Microsoft to a reader with a friend who had a similar experience to my friend.

"Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.

"I am sorry to hear that your friend's Hotmail account has been compromised.

I know how important the information [is] on your Hotmail account.

"As a Customer Service Representative, I can provide web links and support options that may help you resolve your issue.

"I would like to inform you that support for Windows Live Hotmail is available only through Windows Live Solution Centre.

"The WLSC provides access to community support resources and Support Professionals who help users find answers to their issue."

I am sure we all find that comforting.