Privacy worries over Google/Earthlink WiFi plans in SF

The city of San Francisco last week announced plans to team up with Google and Earthlink to build a citywide wireless network. This AP story outlines some of the privacy concerns over what user data Google might gather, and what will become of that data once collected. Snip:

The Mountain View-based company 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.

"The greatest concern is that once you have that treasure trove of information, will people start to come looking for it?" said Kurt Opsahl, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy watchdog group.

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