The German and US authorities have said they will investigate Google's "accidental" collection of Wi-Fi payload data by its Street View cars.
The announcements came soon after the search engine company admitted on Friday that its Street View cars had inadvertently been collecting more data than the company intended.
Google Street View technology uses special cars to capture images from various streets around the world. They also collect basic Wi-Fi information such as Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs) and the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of Wi-Fi routers.
However, the disclosure that Google's cars had also recorded communications sent over unsecured wireless networks in people's homes has alarmed privacy advocates and regulatory authorities.
Although the company argued it has collected only the same data that was publicly available to anyone in the street with a Wi-Fi device, authorities have termed the explanation "highly unusual" and called for a detailed probe.
