Street View

Overview
"Google launched its Street View feature in the United States in 2007 to complement its Google Maps service by providing users with panoramic, street-level photographs. Street View photographs are captured by cameras mounted on vehicles owned by Google that drive on public roads and photograph their surroundings. Between 2007 and 2010, Google also equipped its Street View cars with Wi–Fi antennas and software that collected data transmitted by WiFi networks in nearby homes and businesses. The equipment attached to Google's Street View cars recorded basic information about these Wi–Fi networks, including the network's name (SSID), the unique number assigned to the router transmitting the wireless signal (MAC address), the signal strength, and whether the network was encrypted. Gathering this basic data about the Wi–Fi networks used in homes and businesses enables companies such as Google to provide enhanced "location-based" services, such as those that allow mobile phone users to find nearby restaurants and attractions or receive driving directions."