Google’s street view technology is now once again in trouble. Google’s Street View service launched in the United States in 2007. Google Street View now adds photo of real-life scenes from cities around the world to Google’s maps.
The European Union ordered Google through a letter to delete captured pictures after six months of its Street View service. Google retains their unblurred Street View images for a year.
the letter said, “The Working Party believes that a maximum retention of six months for the unblurred copies of the images would strike the right balance between the protection of privacy and the ability to eliminate false positives,”
The working party said, it was “concerned that Street View continues to give rise to data-protection issues,”
The Working Party believes that maximum retention period should be up to six months for the unblurred image then it will be the right balance.
Google agree to lowering the height of the Street View camera to ensure it doesn’t become a digital “peeping Tom” & blur out people’s faces, license plate numbers, and other personally identifiable details.
“In Europe, we have high standards for data protection. I expect that all companies play according to the rules of the game,” said EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding.
we can see the view of our residence, office etc. It is interesting to try and determine–based on the foliage of the trees, the cars in the driveways, and other clues. The satellite view on Google Maps has provided useful information to every one to reach from ‘A’ point to ‘B’ point.
The Street Maps is a novelty feature than a functional tool. It provides the real value to Google Maps.