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After Modifications, Google Street View Approved For Switzerland
An anonymous reader writes "Since Google began collecting Street View data in Europe a few years ago, many countries have taken it the company to court in order to settle privacy concerns. The NY Times reports that the last challenge to Street View's basic legality has been resolved. Switzerland's top court accepted that Google could only guarantee they would blur out 99% of faces, license plates, and other identifying markers, but also imposed some additional restrictions. 'Those conditions would require Google to lower the height of its Street View cameras so they would not peer over garden walls and hedges, to completely blur out sensitive facilities like women's shelters, prisons, retirement homes and schools, and to advise communities in advance of scheduled tapings.'"
'Those conditions would require Google to lower the height of its Street View cameras so they would not peer over garden walls and hedges
While it'd not be a complete 1:1 mapping of those features to large & gated-off mansions, one can see where that one came from.
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Why is this tagged "eu" and has a EU flag? Switzerland is not a EU member.
Wouldn't blurring these out be the same as putting up a sign saying "Women's Shelter"? I thought those places were nondescript houses.
Even if the article is tagged EU, it discusses only Switzerland, and Switzerland is not in the EU.
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The law regarding this type of thing here in Switzerland drives me crazy.
You are out in public, you should have no expectation of privacy. Period, end of story.
What is next? Legislating that no one can look at anyone else in public? We all have to walk with our heads down so we don't accidentally see anyone else out on the street?
I am all for private data staying private, but when I am out in public, it is, get this: public information.
Wax on, wax off baby!
Yes they are. In Europe privacy does mean something much more complexx then it does in the USofA.
It does not just mean: "Things I do in my house with the curtains closed".
It goes much, much further then that.
Perhaps you can best compare it to the original copyright where I have the right to my own life and everything that goes on it it. And copyright as me, the owner of my life. You should have my permission of you want a copy of it.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Lowering the height seems reasonable. If someone has a high fence or hedge or such, they obviously consider the area behind it "private" and wish it to stay that way. But doing so will not significantly worsen the Street View images.
Likewise, blurring out sensitive areas is also logical. I think they're going a bit too far, personally - retirement homes? - but it's still not unreasonable. I can disagree with the extent of that decision while still recognizing that it was a logically-defensible and rational decision.
Advising communities in advance is also reasonable, if defined reasonably. Obviously, demanding Google go door-to-door six months ahead of time and personally notify every single person is unreasonable, but if it's just "mail them a letter stating the days and approximate times you expect to go by" or "put a notice in the local newspaper", it's fine. I doubt many people will care, but it will placate the few who have concerns.
Comparing Google street images of houses vs. MLS photographs is priceless. MLS photogs frame out the hoarding neighbor, the tree leaning over the house that will cost $10,000 to remove, the leaning deck. Google street is one of several tools that have saved me a lot of time and gas that would have been spent looking at places I don't want to live.
Switzerland, like probably some other countries in Europe, has privacy of its citizen written in the law. That means that, by default, you are not allowed to take pictures of home gardens without prior approval (with or without fence). You also cannot also take picture of, or interview, individuals without their prior consent.
It seems to that the various privacy laws in place across Europe targeting Google Maps have little effect on Google, which has enough resources that they can easily apply technical fixes to tackle each states differing privacy requirement. The net effect though, is to provide a high barrier of entry for competitors. A young startup wishing to start a competing street level mapping service will not have army of lawyers to sort through each states differing laws. Nor may they have the technical expertise to accurately implement blurring algorithms to the satisfaction of the courts. In short, while these laws are intended to target Google, they end up benefiting it, by making it more difficult for competitors to enter the field.