Google had captured the data, including emails and passwords, while it was capturing content for Google Street View.
Google said the capture from unsecured wireless networks was unintentional. The information has been deleted."the actions of a single individual that were not authorised by the executives".
Interviewed on BBC radio, Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt said a single individual was responsible for the action and that Google had disclosed the issue immediately and there "were in fact no privacy violations."
Source: The Local, Germany and BBC News.