Google Street View Faces Privacy Road Block In UK
“The privacy troubles for Google have just begun as the first — Street View vans are spotted in the United Kingdom and European Data Protection laws are rolled out to greet them.”
London – Google Street View has recently resurfaced on the news front again, as it plans to launch its famous Street View mapping tool in the UK.
A privacy watchdog has threatened the online mapping website to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office over the launch of Google’s Street View technology in the UK.
The website, which has already caused a big hullabaloo in America, builds up panoramas of cities using Google camera cars, which photograph life on the streets.
It is already causing a stir, however, as UK privacy watchdog Privacy International has voiced concerns over the mapping system, which intends to capture photographic images of locations in the UK that can be then matched to their location on a map. What is more, this is not the first time the search engine has had a run in with the campaigners — last year, it published its concerns over Google’s privacy practices in a high-profile report.
Privacy International has communicated with Google demanding more information about the system and is warning to refer them to the Information Commissioner over privacy protection and ask for a suspension of the service in the UK.
Privacy International considers that data protection laws are being broken with the new technology; Simon Davis from Privacy International said in a statement: “In our view they need a person’s consent if they make use of a person’s face for commercial ends”.
Street View has previously come under attack, and even been the subject of a lawsuit, in the States, prompting the web giant to add blurring and other privacy tools — activated on request.
Google has told Web User that the service will not be launched in the UK “until we are comfortable Street View complies with local law, including law relating to the display of images of individuals”.
“We will use technology, like face-blurring and operational controls, such as image removal tools, so Street View remains useful and in keeping with local norms wherever it is available,” the Google spokesperson said.
Street View enables users to search for addresses and see photographs of locations rather than maps. It uses a fleet of cars fitted with cameras to capture images of cities — often photographing unwary bystanders at the same time.
It is this aspect that has disturbed the privacy campaigners, because people appearing in the pictures have not usually given their permission for the image to be reproduced.
This week the cars have been located in Britain, leading to concerns that they could capture members of the public and put images of them on the web without their permission.
It is though new for the UK, but Street View is functioning already in the US and has resulted in some complaints, with visible individuals requesting that Google remove their image from particular locations. So far, Google, in accordance to local privacy laws has cooperated with such requests and blurred any revealing pictures. However, with Privacy International’s involvement, developments in the UK may have to be postponed.
Street View has created troubles for other countries too, including Canada and Australia. The reason this case is such an issue for the UK is that, when a picture is being taken for commercial purposes, Google will be required to seek consent from the individual; in the US, the same laws do not apply.
It is anyway a dreadful week for Google and privacy issues, with the search giant being ordered to hand over records of every single video on YouTube and who it has been watched by, as part of a court case involving MTV.
Google is attempting to make sure that any identifying information is removed from the YouTube log before it is handed over.
“Consequently, the UK may not yet be ready (or permitted) to use Street View until Google and Privacy International become friends.”