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31 Jul 2008
Google has argued in a court submission that there can be no expectation of privacy in the modern world.
The search giant is being sued by a Pennsylvania couple after their home appeared on Google Street View. The couple's house is on a road clearly marked as private property.
"Today's satellite image technology means that even in today's desert, complete privacy does not exist," said Google's submission.
"In any event, the plaintiffs live far away from the desert and are far from hermits."
The couple is suing Google for $25,000 in damages, claiming that the value of their property has been affected and that they have suffered "mental stress".
This is not the first time that Street View has got Google into trouble. The EU is recommending that people's faces should be blurred out of the images.
Street View aims to photograph every street in the world and place the photographs online. A team of specially converted cars with cameras mounted on the roof are in constant action around the world.
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you miss the most important thing
the link to this couple's place on google map!!! :)
Posted by: lettcco 31 Jul 2008
Google - Now Burglars4Us
Oh great, now all the burglars have to do is use Google to find suitable out of the way homes, see if they've got escape routes and alarms, kennel in the garden etc. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of seeing an aerial shot of homes from the equivalent of 1000 feet up to protect privacy, and even distant panoramas of areas, and perhaps closer shots of town centers, but photographing at street level is a whole different ball game when it comes to private property. I have taken a series of shots around the village that I live in and went to great lenghts to never include any direct shots of peoples homes. I wonder if Google employed drivers are that careful and conscientious? Of course they aren't. They are paid to drive around and photograph as much as they can. There is of course another serious issue. Are they masking car number plates? What of witness protection schemes? Potential kidnappers? People hell bent on revenge against people they know live in a certain area but don't know where? Are schools and retirement homes to be included? What proactive things are Google doing to protect us? After consideration I would have to conclude that there are many more reasons not to do this than to do it. I do not know the full circumstances of the case you mentioned but I think that although the complaint may be couched in extreme terms (something that will go against the complainants), that there is actually a serious case to answer. I would consider this to fall into the category of "an unnescessary additional intrusion that has the potential for unwittingly putting people at serious risk".
Posted by: David Lambert 31 Jul 2008
What a pair of idiotic couple!
"Mental Stress"? I have to laugh at this couple's pathetic actions. There are millions of people who face real "mental stress" - our very brave soldiers serving in Iraq/Afghanistan, the genocide in Africa, bombs in Turkey & India, and people who face genuinely distressing situations such as domestic/drugs/alcohol abuse, bereavement, terminal illness etc. Need I go on? I sincerely hope the couple are not using Google as an excuse to obtain extra money in order to offset against the negative equity on their property as a result of the 'credit crunch' (which had nothing to do with Google!), or to get out of whatever financial debts they may have found themselves in.
Posted by: Ranting Scotsman 31 Jul 2008
Google Street View Privacy Invasions...
Take a look at these French Google Street View privacy invasions: http://streetviewgallery.corank.com
Posted by: Mapper99 30 Jul 2008