StreetView passed by Kiwi cops

Police in New Zealand have bounced a complaint about Google's StreetView service back to the country's Privacy Commissioner.

The Privacy Commissioner formally referred StreetView's unauthorised collection of Wi-Fi data to the police in June so cops could decide whether a crime had been committed.

Police said there was no evidence a crime had been committed.

But they did say it was a timely reminder for people to switch on their Wi-Fi security in order to stop data being slurped "either inadvertently or for more sinister purposes".

Aussie police are still investigating Google's mass Wi-Fi data slurp, as are regulators in the UK, Germany and Spain.

Some 38 states in the US are also investigating the ad giant. ®