Google has signed a commitment to improve data handling to ensure breaches like the collection of WiFi data by Google Street View vehicles do not occur again, the Information Commissioner (ICO) has said. The ICO will conduct a full audit of Google’s internal privacy structure, privacy training programs and its system of privacy reviews for new products. The criteria for a penalty to be imposed is that there would have to have been substantial damage or distress to individuals from the collection of the snippets of e-mails, URLs and passwords. The ICO decided that there was no grounds for imposing a fine. So the test for FE and HE institutions is that only where "substantial damage or distress to individuals" has been caused by unfair processing of personal data will there be the liklihood of a penalty being imposed by the ICO. Further details of the story can be found on the ICO website at - http://www.ico.gov.uk.