Google reaches deal with Connecticut in Wi-Fi probe

Connecticut Atty. Gen. George Jepsen said his office has entered into settlement negotiations with Google over private data its Street View cars collected from unsecured networks there. As part of the deal, Google acknowledged that its Street View cars gathered information including partial or complete e-mails and addresses of requested Web pages, AG Jepsen said.

The agreement will allow the Internet search giant and a 40-state coalition led by Connecticut to engage in talks "without the need for a protracted and costly fight in the courts," he said. AG Jepsen said he is prepared to file a lawsuit if settlement talks break down. Connecticut had issued a civil investigative demand, which is similar to a subpoena, to obtain the data Google collected. Google rejected the demand from Connecticut's then-Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal. Consumer Watchdog spokesman John Simpson objected to the settlement talks. "The details of the biggest privacy breach in history shouldn't be settled in secret," he said.