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Google said it would learn lessons an admission that ‘Google Cars’ had captured wi-fi data payloads that included emails and passwords.
The Information Commissioner’s Office investigation had concluded in July but this was on the basis that the data did not include "meaningful personal details that could be linked to an identifiable person," according to the BBC.
On Friday, Google’s engineering and research vice president Alan Eustace wrote on the official Google Blog that the company was "acutely aware that we failed badly here," announcing a new director of privacy and other measures such as strengthening training and compliance.
However the the post also said that International investigations into the wi-fi monitoring had revealed that "while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords," wrote Eustace.
The revelation ratchets up the severity of the private information captured which has promoted the Information Commissioner’s Office to take a fresh look into the case.
"We will be making enquires to see whether this information relates to the data inadvertently captured in the UK, before deciding on the necessary course of action, including a consideration of the need to use our enforcement powers," a spokesman told the BBC.
Google’s head of PR in the UK and Ireland, Peter Barron, appeared on BBC News saying "we’re also determined to learn the lessons from this mistake," while Eustace wrote on the official Google Blog: "We are mortified by what happened, but confident that these changes to our processes and structure will significantly improve our internal privacy and security practices for the benefit of all our users."
