Company responds to concerns raised by Canada’s privacy commissioner…
“The office of Canada’s privacy commissioner likes what it is hearing from Google about ensuring its new Street View imaging service does not infringe on privacy laws.”
Ottawa — Google Inc. is considering a Canadian launch of its “Street View” map feature, which offers street-level close-ups of city centers, but would blur people’s faces and vehicle license plates to respect tougher Canadian privacy laws, the Web search firm said on Monday.
“Google Inc.’s Street View application, which has raised privacy concerns because of the street-level views of locations it provides, will respect the local laws of the countries wherever it is available, the company’s privacy counsel said in a company blog.”
“Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer appears to be responding to concerns raised by Canada’s privacy commissioner about the implications of Street View.”
“We would not launch Street View in Canada the same as in the U.S.,” Google’s global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer said. “It means concretely that we will try to not have identifiable faces and identifiable license plate numbers in any Street View images in Canada.”
Some of the pictures feature a person who can clearly be identified, which contravenes Canadian legislation on privacy.
In a letter earlier this month to Google and Calgary-based Immersive Media, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said Street View feature — which offers a series of panoramic, 360-degree images of nine U.S. cities, may violate the country’s privacy law if it were introduced without alterations, which prohibits the commercial use of personal data without permission from the individual.
“Stoddart was likely making pre-emptive strike since the application is not offered in Canada yet.”
“The new Street View program uses photographs taken at an earlier date to let Internet users navigate through streets from a pedestrian’s perspective, as well as zoom in on various neighborhoods, businesses or people they spot along the way.”
Commission spokesman Colin McKay says the two companies have yet to respond formally to a request for information.
“We would launch Street View in Canada in keeping with the principles and requirements of Canadian law … that means we know we will have to focus on finding ways to make sure that individual’s faces are not identifiable in pictures taken in Canada and that license plate numbers are not identifiable in Canada,” he told Reuters in an interview.
“Privacy commissioner is hopeful about Google’s proposal to blur images on Street View…”
Stoddart sounded the alarm over the program because she said it could violate the privacy rights of citizens and break federal privacy laws, which are designed to protect Canadians from having their personal information unknowingly used or exposed by public and private companies.
In his blog, Fleischer said when Google designed the service, it wanted to make sure it respected the privacy of individuals who might be walking on a public street at the moment Google captured an image. To do that, Google instituted a process that allowed people to contact the company if they wanted to have their images removed, he said.
“We understand that the expectation of privacy in a public place in Canada is different than in the U.S.,” Fleischer said. “In the U.S., there is a long and noble tradition of ‘public spaces,’ where people do not have the same expectations of privacy as they do in their homes,” he said.
“However, we have always said that Street View will respect local laws wherever it is available, and we recognize that other countries strike a different balance between the concept of ‘public spaces’ and individuals’ right to privacy in those public spaces.”
“I think we have some principles that are serious and we will respect privacy concerns and the Canadian commissioner will be happy.”
Fleischer, in Canada to take part in a major international privacy conference in Montreal this week, said Google is committed to complying with privacy regulations in various countries where Street View is launched.
“He said the firm is looking into ways to appease Canada’s concerns, including blurring or lowering the resolution of some images to prevent identification of individuals.”
McKay said he was pleased to hear the news that Google is planning to modify the program to make sure it complies with Canadian privacy law.
“If that is how they are planning to roll out their service by putting in place technological means…to block out faces and license plates and other essential personal information, then that is a great first step,” said McKay.
“We wanted to make sure Canadian privacy rights were guaranteed and the proof is in the pudding, but if that is the sort of statement that he is making, it is the sort of safeguards we are looking for,” McKay said.
“Fleischer said when Street View becomes available in other countries–Google will respect the laws of those countries.”
“We understand that means that we will have to ensure that there are not identifiable faces and license plates in some countries,” he said. “There is an important public policy debate in every country around what privacy means in public spaces. That balance will vary from country to country, and Street View will respect it.”
McKay says the commissioner wants to see exactly what Google has in mind for fixing the problem before Street View is launched in Canada.
But, from what he has heard from Fleischer, McKay says it appears Google is headed in the right direction.
“Fleischer said the company is not ready to announce when the Street View application will be made available in Canada.”