Google Street View blurs will be blurrier
p2pnet news view | Advertising:- Online advertising company Google says by blurring some parts of images it’s using on its Street Views project, it’s protecting the identities of people inadvertently snapped as its SnoopMobiles prowl the streets of the world.
It seems it may not have been doing a very good job, but it has no plans to make any immediate improvements until demands made in Switzerland are met.
Hans-Peter Thure, the country`s federal data protection and information commissioner (FDPIC), wanted the feature removed, said InformationWeek recently.
Gargle`s pictures violated Switzerland`s strict privacy laws, by failing to obscure people`s identities on the mapping service, which offers detailed street-level images, he said in the story.
Numerous faces and license numbers weren`t blurred or were done so inadequately, said Thuer in a statement, adding he, demands that Google Inc. immediately take its Google Street View online service off the Internet until it can ensure that public images respect Swiss law.
Now, “The blurring of people’s faces and license numbers will be significantly improved,” the Associated Press has Gargoyle’s global ‘privacy counsel’ Peter Fleischer stating.
Changes will first be introduced in Switzerland, “and subsequently in other countries,” he says, according to the story, which adds:
“License numbers will only be more blurred in Switzerland because the letters and numbers are bigger than on other countries’ license plates, he said, adding that the improvements can be done within a few weeks.”
made in Switzerland – No Street View! Switzerland tells Google, August 25, 2009
InformationWeek – Google Fights Street View Ban In Switzerland, August 24, 2009
September, 2009
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September 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Here’s a Street View that should make all the privacy nuts happy. Useful isn’t it?
http://i31.tinypic.com/k56c09.jpg
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
^^ Yeh. It’s about as useful as Street Views — except as an advertising hook, of course.
Cheers!
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
@ above
Street Views is great for anyone who is looking for an address !
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Yeah – I have used street view several times.. I don’t have a problem with apearing on it either (unless i’m doing something really embarrasing such as showing builders crack etc!)
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
You can do it. All cities in U.S.A. Street View:
U.S.A. Street View
Best regards,
December 8th, 2009 at 8:49 am
That’s sad that this kind of thing it’s alway slow and complex in switzerland (I’m swiss) we also have a Streetview VIDEO service (try http://www.streetview.ch/) powered by globalvision I hope that it will not make the same controversy