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Are Streetview Privacy Concerns Taken Seriously?

posted by Satri on Monday June 15, @07:49AM        Permalink  Trackback URI  Slashdotthis  Diggthis  Del.icio.us
from the looking-for-serious-privacy? dept.

Bull writes "After hearing about a rude word written on a school's roof visible in Google Maps I decided to check it out, it wasn't that impressive a typical prank, what was more interesting was when I zoomed in further and explored the area using Streetview. In under three minutes I noticed an unblurred car license plate and two unblurred faces, now I understand the technological problems involved in detecting faces and number plates but I genuinely expected Google to do a better job than this. They have got the publics acceptance by promising the blurring features, but in my opinion the promises should be kept, and if they can't be kept Google should at the very least stop adding new Streetview imagery until their software is improved. I will probably get flamed by the Google fanboys, to preempt some of the inevitable comments, yes you can contact Google and ask them to remove any photos, but why is this our job? Don't they have a QA department with paid staff? Yes I can walk down the street and see people with unblurred faces, but they can also see me, plus I'm one person not several million. Another thing worth considering is what would happen if you walked around a town taking photos of everyone and everything? I'm pretty sure you would end up being interviewed by the police, and I doubt promising to blur the images of faces, especially childrens faces, would get you very far." See also related stories below.

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• What concern?

  (Score:2, Interesting)

  by Baloo Uriza (2003) on Monday June 15, @03:32PM (#3213)

  Is this really where we're at today? Are we really that paranoid as to think that unblurred photos on Streetview are anymore of a threat than unblurred faces and license plates walking and driving down the street every day? Never mind anybody could take their own picture. Heck, someone with a notepad might take down your plate number and/or description! oh noes!
  
  Big brother is not watching you. If he was, 9/11 wouldn't have happened, Oklahoma City wouldn't have happened, and I'm pretty getting drunk and hurling rocks at the police cameras would be frowned upon if someone actually watched the bloody things.
  
  You have more to fear from the asshole busybody down the block than you having your photo taken in a public place, published on the internets.
  
  • Re:What concern?

    (Score:2, Interesting)

    by NeoGeo (1632) on Tuesday June 16, @10:45AM (#3216)

    I agree. In legal terms, I am certain that there is no "expectation of privacy" anywhere that street view is displaying. I think Google made a mistake in agreeing to blur anything (except, perhaps, streakers and flashers).

    [ Parent ]
    • Re:What concern?

      (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Baloo Uriza (2003) on Tuesday June 16, @04:27PM (#3217)

      Exactly. If I go out on the street, I more or less expect to be seen. Hell, that's why businesses, including my trucking company which only had two trucks, advertise on their doors...

      [ Parent ]