Google Streets View: Taking Your Picture, or Your Privacy?

This is my first media arts blog post, and it is about Google Streets View and its privacy issues. First off, since my blog is called yahoois betterthan google.blogspot. com, you would expect me to be against Google. However, in this case, it is actually FOR Google. There are a few features and programs Google offers that I actually like, such as Google Earth, Google Sketchup, and now Google Streets View. I feel that Google Streets View is not a privacy issue for several reasons.

First off, Google’s pictures date back to the spring for the Toronto area. I know this because I saw one of the cars last spring, the leaves on the trees in the pictures are barely filled in, and my friend was able to spot a date on the message board in front of my elementary school, which he thought said April. This means that people who were in the pictures have most certainly moved, so it would be really difficult, if not impossible, to track their movements using these pictures. Secondly, all faces and license plates are blurred out for the online version, so you cannot trace faces or plates. Finally, Google alerted the public in advance about this program, so the public became aware of it before the photos were posted.

In my personal opinion, I see no problem in Google Streets View. I knew about it before this blog was posted, so I tried it out, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to find my house, Mary Ward, and various other places around the city. But the best part was the fact that I could look at them from eye-level, rather than a bird’s eye view like in Google Earth, which immersed me more into the surroundings. Google Streets View could also be used in various fields of work. For example, it could be useful for city planners because with the combined data of satellite imagery and Google Streets View, they could look at the surrounding area of a development without even having to go there (provided that the images are fairly up to date).

In conclusion, I believe that Google Streets View is not a privacy issue and I encourage people to go check it out. It is a really fun and useful tool, and I think it would be good for Google to Support it for years to come.