Google Accused of Wiretapping

It turns out this charming story of seeing a dead relative on Google Street View might not be so charming after all. Google has been accused of wiretapping, in two separate cases that have been merged into one massive lawsuit. One lawsuit focuses on targeted ads in Gmail, which the plaintiffs say is a breach of privacy and wiretapping laws—and, as a class action lawsuit, Google could be responsible for fines to half a billion worldwide users. The case could also present long-term consequences for Yahoo and Microsoft. San Francisco Judge Lucy Koh (the same one who, in a separate case, asked an Apple lawyer if he was “smoking crack”) on Thursday denied nearly every one of Google’s motions to dismiss.