Search Results for: google "street view" privacy

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Google‘s Street View is Greek to Them

posted on May 13, 2009

Google’s attempt to have a picture of everything on this Google earth that we are allowed to live on has created more privacy concerns. Thisgoogle-street-view-car time the complaints are coming from Greece and depending on who you listen to these concerns are of varying degrees of intensity.

The New York Times reports that the Greek Data Protection Authority (DPA), which is a watchdog group has a history of clashes with many groups including the Greek government and the Greek Orthodox Church about privacy concerns, has banned the service from continuing to take pictures of Greek properties.

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Week in Review on Google‘s Street View

posted on July 9, 2010

While Google has made nice with China and had its ‘operating license’ renewed, their Street View efforts are getting mixed reactions around the globe. Recently, Google has come under serious pressure from the likes of the EU’s European Commission and countries directly (Germany) about its ‘accidental’ collection of data from unsecured wireless networks while making its rounds. Well, there was some relief from that side of the pond at least as reported by Reuters

Google Inc (GOOG.O), which is at the heart of a controversy over its data collection methods, has decided to resume gathering images in four countries for its Street View mapping service.

After conversations with regulators, the Internet search company will start driving its cars in Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden from next week, it said on its European Public Policy blog.

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Google Street View Raises More Privacy Concerns

posted on April 27, 2010

Google’s Street View has always been a lightning rod of sorts for privacy advocates. After all, if you find yourself looking out your window one day and a Google-mobile or trike or whatever they use these days to get information, shows up and starts taking pictures of your street and your home it can be a little creepy. It kind of gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “It’s a Google world and we’re just allowed to play in it”.

Nowhere has the concern for privacy been greater than in Europe. In particular, Germany has taken issue with many of Google’s information gathering activities. Well, now that there have been the “discovery” of what else Google is gathering the German government is sounding off again.

The Register reports

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Google Street View Still Unwelcome in English Village

posted on September 14, 2009

Broughton, Buckinghamshire, England, has found a way to get on the map—by staying off the map. Back in April, an angry mob defeated a Google Street View car by forming a human chain, and apparently this is news to UPI.

It was a good thing the villagers acted when they did—the search giant is so powerful that merely by thinking about mapping the village, they caused a spate of burglaries! Thankfully, the villagers’ diligence will prevent future . . . wait. . . .

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Google Gets EU’s Attention Again for Street View Images

posted on February 26, 2010

If Google hasn’t gotten the message by now then they never will. The European Union has a bee in its bonnet about all things Google. It almost feels like there is an issue du jour as of late. The threat of anti-trust inquiries is the latest to surface out of the regulatory body and just to show that they are paying attention to everything Google does there is some concern over the Google’s Street View again.

The troubles are concerning how long Google keeps raw images in storage. These are the original photos taken that are then altered by blurring any potentially sensitive information like faces and license plate numbers. After this process is done then the photo is put into the Street View system. It’s how long the original images are kept that has the EU concerned. Yahoo! Finance reports

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Germans Can Opt-Out of Street View

posted on August 18, 2010

Google continues to jump through various hoops to help limit the privacy concerns that their Street View efforts have caused in Europe. In order to hopefully stop any more backlash in Germany, Google is allowing for buildings to be opted out of Street View. Owners of buildings have until September 15th to do this.

TechCrunch tells us

Google made their “opt out of street view” service live in Germany today, giving select Germans until September 15th to exclude their properties from being mapped when the Street View service launches. The function will be available for a limited time in the 20 cities that are mentioned which includes Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg and then extend to all cities covered as Google Maps Germany rolls out.

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Google Street View Changes Image in Germany

posted on June 19, 2009

Google Maps jpegGoogle has taken a serious step in Deutschland regarding how much data they keep for their Street View service. This offering has been the target of privacy groups and angry villagers for quite some time now but Google looks like it is giving back some power to the people. Of course, having the German government involved likely ‘influenced’ their decision.

Mashable brings Google’s new policy into focus;

You might be wondering what’s new here; after all, Google (Google) has been blurring Street View imagery containing potentially sensitive data like faces and license plates, on request, for quite a while now.

However, in Germany, there will be a crucial difference, because over there Google has agreed to completely erase such data internally. AP writes: