From the Los Angeles Times
Google can face wiretap claims in Street View suits, court says
By Jessica Guynn and Maura Dolan
A federal appeals court has refused to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing Google Inc. of violating federal wiretap law when its fleet of Street View cars inadvertently swept up emails, passwords and other highly sensitive personal information from unencrypted wireless networks.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Google could be held liable for damages for intercepting the personal data from unsuspecting households while photographing streets for its popular street-mapping service....
Legal experts say the appeals court had to wrestle with poorly drafted, outdated laws and decipher the intent of lawmakers in reaching the decision....
The decision led to new calls to modernize federal laws that protect the digital privacy of American citizens.
That level of protection should not depend on "whether or not someone is sophisticated enough to secure their wireless network," said Deirdre Mulligan, a professor at UC Berkeley's School of Information. "It illustrates once again how desperately we need to clarify our protections for electronic communications."