26 September 2007

Google Street View 'will respect privacy laws'

Google has said its Street View service, which allows users to view and navigate 360 degrees at street level, will respect the privacy laws of the countries in which it is available.

Recently, Canada's privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart raised concerns over the application, saying that it may contravene some of the country's privacy regulations.

In a letter to the search engine's senior vice-president, David Drummond, Ms Stoddart expressed her reservations, stating that Google Street View "does not appear to meet the basic requirements of knowledge, consent and limited collection and use as set out in the legislation".

In an apparent response to such concerns, Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer has stated in a company blog that the search engine has "thought hard about how to design Street View so that the service would respect the privacy of people who happen to be walking down a public street at the random moment when we capture an image".

He added that the designers have devised a simple process to enable anyone featured in an image on the application to contact Google and have it removed.

Mr Fleischer also emphasised that Street View will respect local laws and said the company recognises that other countries have different ideas about "public spaces" and individuals' rights to privacy.

Located within Google Maps, Google Street View allows users to gain a greater understanding of specific areas and is currently available in seven US cities.

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