Reading a ‘broadcasted’ signal into open air is hardly ‘wiretapping’.
....ENCRYPTION............
Are police scanners also “wiretapping”? Is listening to someone talking “wiretapping”?
When it became illegal to receive unencrypted radio signals from cell phones a couple of decades ago that threw out long standing principle that Americans could listen to anything on the public airwaves and it was the duty of the transmitting party to secure their information.
That was a major difference between America and the rest of the world.
Not so much anymore...
Now if you listen to certain signals coming into your home on your own properly all without transmitting anything you can be found guilty of breaking the law. A line in the sand that leads to the likes of China who dictate what information is okay and not okay to listen to...
We have lost so much...
And no one really seems to care...
In some cases yes inded it is against the law. If the same laws applying to scanner monitoring apply to Google then yes they could be in serious trouble IF they are using what they pick up for commercial {economical} gain.
Also listening on a scanner you may listen all you with to most unencrypted signals. BUT some things you can not by law monitor even when analog such as cell phones and likely land lines cordless phones. Actually on scanner sold in the U.S. the cell spectrum is blocked. Being in possession of a scanner capable of monitoring cell calls made after a certain date which I can't remember and snuck into the U.S. from say Canada can get you in some bad trouble also.
Personally I have no like nor use for Google nor do I trust it. I block as much of their adware stuff as I can also. Not every thing that goes on is Googles business including what someones house looks like.
Bingo. If radio had just been invented, this judge would rule it 'wiretapping' to listen.
If it is, I'm in deep doo-doo. And so is the Website that broadcasts 'them' (multiple Fire and Police Depts in the USA to choose from) over their "Online Scanner".
I'm listening to the Chicago Police Dept right now and do every day. But interesting enough for about decade I couldn't find ANY websites that would do it. One day they were there, then wham -- all web broadcasts gone. So 'something' must have changed to make it 'legal' now.
I grew up listening to the CPD Radio Calls. First with a Vacuum Tubed Shortwave Radio back in the 50's. Then with a portable AM-FM-UHF-VHF Channel transistor radio in the late 60's and 7O's. With that I'd have to find the exact frequency for our Chi Police District, the 9th District, and that took 'patience' to find.