A view on Google's Street View

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 06 August 2008 15:27

Opinion and Analysis

The problem of 'privacy' basically arises because people will inevitably caught doing something they don't want everyone to see. Examples have included urinating in a shop doorway, picking noses, and exposing underwear when bending over.

There are probably also cases of simply being in the company of the wrong person.

Similarly, if you were married and your lover had parked his or her relatively distinctive car (one that was known to your spouse) outside your home on the day the Street View photography was taken, you might have cause for concern.

And there's a case to be made for ensuring that any people or vehicles are completely obliterated from streets containing refuges, STD clinics and the like - it would clearly not be in the public interest to discourage people from moving out of violent households or seeking treatment. I'm sure you can think of other examples.

But in general, I can't see the problem with a comprehensive set of photographs linked to their locations on a set of maps.

If you think I'm wrong, explain why in our forum.