Google Eyed
Google Street View has now covered over 100 cities world wide but has had lots of concern. Lots of complaints have been made such as a couple from Pittsburgh who lost their court case claiming Google Street View was a reckless invasion of their privacy.
Recently Google has agreed to re-shoot the cities in Japan with lower angled cameras after many privacy complaints.
On Tuesday Greece’s data protection agency banned Google from expanding its service pending additional privacy guarantees on top of the blurred faces and number plates that Google already offers. Britain has seen Google’s camera car get blocked in by residents of Milton Keynes in April as it was taking pictures of their houses, and heard such stories as a wife filing for divorce after finding a picture of her husband’s car parked outside another women’s house. Britain’s Privacy Watchdog has rejected calls to shut Street View down but have said the Greeks’ decision would set a precedent for other nations.
I myself have enjoyed the embarrassing and sometimes weird pictures caught of alien phenomena ( ET phone home!), crime in process, and blokes just exiting their local adult store. Some people were even ready to pose as the car drove past as you will find in Putney with the ‘Where’s Wally’ character (I won’t tell you where in Putney as it might ruin the fun for you)…. All rather amusing I think. Yes, some images such as car accidents and indecency have been found to appear on it but can be removed once reported to Google. I find the tool most useful, especially during my search for a house where I was able to scope out the local areas without leaving my front door.
I’m sure there’s a lot more to come on this topic though as a lot of people don’t share my view.
ET Phone Home!
Break In?
Where’s Wally!