Blumenthal subpoenas Google's 'Wi-Spy' data with eye on imposing penalties

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is taking legal action to force Google to turn over the personal data it collected from users in its so-called "Wi-Spy" privacy breach, he announced on Friday. 

Blumenthal, a Democratic senator-elect, sent his message by way of a "civil investigative demand," which is essentially a subpoena. 

“Verifying Google’s data snare is crucial to assessing a penalty and assuring no repeat," Blumenthal said in a statement.

Blumenthal says Google has allowed Canada's authorities to review the data, which include passwords and entire e-mails. However, the company is refusing to allow Blumenthal to do the same. 

Google collected and stored user data from Wi-Fi networks through its Street View cars, which take pictures for its mapping application. Google says the data collection was a mistake and resulted from a problem with computer code.