Google's Wi-Fi-sniffing debacle has become the focus of a Federal Communications Commission inquiry, two weeks after another government agency, the Federal Trade Commission, closed its probe without imposing sanctions.

The latest development, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is an FCC examination into whether the Mountain View, California-based media giant breached the Communications Act, and perhaps even the Wiretap Act – which makes it unlawful to intercept data. The agency can exact fines or even recommend the Justice Department file charges.

Google conceded it erroneously collected fragments of data for three years across the globe from unencrypted wireless networks as its fleet of camera-equipped cars moseyed through neighborhoods snapping pictures for its Street View program. Google said its cars were supposed to collect only the names of and identifying information from Wi-Fi access points, which it uses as an ad-hoc GPS system to localize searches for mobile users.

Google has repeatedly apologized and maintained it broke no laws.

The Street View blunder, which Google says has been corrected, is the subject of a myriad of state and international probes as well, in addition to a proposed class-action pending in San Francisco federal court.

Marc Rotenberg, who heads the Electronic Privacy Information Center, urged the FCC to open the inquiry. In a telephone interview Thursday, he declined to suggest a result. "It's the FCC's responsibility to pursue this investigation," he said. "It's really for the FCC to decide what the right outcome might be."

The FTC, meanwhile, examines breaches of trade practices and concluded two weeks ago none had occurred.

Photo: woozie210/Flickr

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