Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has accused internet leader Google for an alleged privacy breach in the Western World after it collected personal information from online users as its cars took snapshots of the Australian streets.

Mr. Conroy lambasted Google during a Senate estimates hearing last Monday for collecting data from Australian citizens as part of its Street View mapping service. He said the other countries are following similar breaches as well.

"This has been worldwide. Google takes the view that they can do anything they want," Senator Conroy said. "It is possible that this has been the largest privacy breach in history across Western democracies.”

Mr. Conroy also explained that the matter is currently investigated by the Privacy Commissioner.

"After being caught out by European privacy commissioners, Google has admitted that their Street View cars -- the ones that drive down your street and photograph your house without your permission so that they can make it available worldwide for use in their Street View product -- have also been collecting information from people using WiFi connections," he said.

Google defended its actions stating the collection of the data was not intentionally to harm the citizens, however, Senator Conroy insists the internet giant may be using codes to collect data.

The senator also argued that Google's approach to privacy is disturbing, stressing one example that a company's product be exposed to an ex-partner by locating the user's area.

"This is a company that says 'do no evil' but tries to pretend it is not motivated by profit and that it knows best and 'you can trust us' when it comes to privacy. Unfortunately there are no safeguards. They consider themselves to be above government."

Meanwhile, Google released a statement, saying it was surprised to hear Senator Conroy discussing about its privacy record in a hearing when it was supposed to be about the government's proposed internet filter, which the senator opposed.

Google criticized the filter as cutting speeds and being easy to override. The company warns that a possibility of a legitimate material may be filtered on the net.