Google is offering wireless network owners worldwide the possibility of opting out from its Wi-Fi geolocation mapping efforts, in the wake of a decision by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) that this process is in violation of legislation in the Netherlands.
Google uses its Street View cars to build a global database of wireless access points and their geographic location. The database is used by the company's services and other Android applications to approximate the location of individuals based on the Wi-Fi networks detected by their handsets at a given time.
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