Google rebuffs FCC over 'Wi-Spy' flap

Google rejected the Federal Communications Commission’s argument that the company obstructed an investigation of the so-called Wi-Spy privacy flap — blaming the FCC in part for the delay — in a stinging rebuke filed with the agency.

At the same time, Google acknowledged for the first time in its formal response to the FCC that the Justice Department had already reviewed the case, and "concluded that it would not pursue a case for violation of the Wiretap Act." Google filed its 17-page response to the FCC after the agency concluded it lacked evidence to determine whether the company broke federal anti-wiretapping laws. The inquiry stemmed from a 2010 incident in which Google's cars, dispatched to map neighborhoods, intercepted private emails, Web pages and other documents sent over unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. As part of the FCC's scathing order, issued in early April, the agency accused the company of having "deliberately impeded and delayed" its probe." It slapped Google with a proposed $25,000 fine, which Google noted Thursday it would not appeal. But Google turned the tables and struck back, criticizing the regulatory agency for its conduct in the probe.