REPORT: Google forced to re-shoot all of Japan's StreetView images [w/POLL]
We happen to love Google StreetView for the fun things that can be found using the free service. Ugly Buicks, Porsches testing in Colorado and even a rare split-window Corvette barn find are just a few of the many, many things uncovered by Google's free service, which snaps 360-degree images at eye level using specially equipped cars with roof-mounted cameras. Of course, there are going to be privacy concerns when you hire people to drive around with a camera on a stick and take pictures, and complaints coming out of Japan have reportedly forced Google to go back to the drawing board and reshoot the entire country.
The complaints center around the fact that the camera taking pictures is mounted high enough to see over fences and into yards, thereby violating certain expectations of privacy. Google has already shot 12 major Japanese cities, including Tokyo, but will be scrapping everything and starting over after modifications have been made to the camera mounts to lower their field of vision. Google StreetView was recently banned in Greece over privacy issues and other regions around the world have also not looked kindly on being invaded by the all-seeing swarm of Google cars. How do you see it?
[Source: JapanToday.com, Photo by carolmond | CC2.0]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Julius 5:03PM (5/18/2009)
Not sure if StreetView is all that necessary in side streets. I've seen how it can help with major intersections in deciding where to turn, but on side streets, I think it's a waste.
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CaramelZappa 5:54PM (5/18/2009)
If anything it can be MORE necessary on the side streets. Some smaller streets have tiny signs that are hard to see, especially at night. If you have street view you can recognize landmarks so you know where you are even if the street sign is covered by a tree.
Quantumphysics 7:40PM (5/18/2009)
Simply put, you can find someone's house simply by knowing their phone number/address and see what it looks like. What their neighborhood looks like.
Sure the pictures tend to be old ( a season old sometimes) but the truth is, some people don't want their property to be viewable by satellite and street image.
If they ever get technology able to show LIVE views of our property then I'm certain people will consider this a breach of privacy.
Mobius_1 5:04PM (5/18/2009)
No, because I haven't got a house. :)
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dUN 5:18PM (5/18/2009)
me neither...but even if I do, I would not mind, since I use the function before every trip, and I can see the benefits in US, that's why google shall keep investing in building a brand that people will trust, on a global context...
Xa 9:40PM (5/18/2009)
i think that the complaint is that the cameras can see into the yard, not because they can see the front of said house. there's a fence because the owners don't want others to see OVER the fence, but of course, everyone on autoblog seems to be 8 feet tall and so no one gets the issue.
Jon 5:09PM (5/18/2009)
Not sure if it's a privacy issue if anyone who walks in front of my house sees the same thing. Perhaps I should build a 20' high fence? But then people would be able to see I have a fence. Hmmm....
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Stingers 6:37PM (5/18/2009)
Exactly. Those who walk by can see it, so what difference does it make if someone online can see the front of my house?
Randy 11:32PM (5/18/2009)
Just wondering..... What if someone ill-willed against you set up a web cam across the street from your house and had a 24/7 feed running to their own living room so when you left the house they could rob it or maybe violate others inside?
Extreme example indeed! But the different between a snapshot and video is 29 frames! If you don't want 30 frames (i.e. video) why would you want 1/30th of it.
Just sayin...
izorro 5:09PM (5/18/2009)
You can see my house...no biggie really I've got window shades and such....
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Franz 5:16PM (5/18/2009)
It's not like they drive past our houses every day & update the images. So they may have seen inside a few yards... big deal. It's not like anyone walking outside couldn't have a peek through the fence or over the wall. People don't know what to complain about anymore.
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Arch111905 5:23PM (5/18/2009)
+1
GDUb 5:20PM (5/18/2009)
Sheeesh what are these people hiding unicorns? i understand military installations and high end open air strip clubs but come on people its a tool made to help people.
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chineyz954 5:22PM (5/18/2009)
If Iran had a large tech company that wanted to take pictures of our streets to repost for civil uses it would be a problem for me. I think its fine that google does this in the US, but internationally I think it a bit of an invasion of sovereignty.
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Colin Smith 5:23PM (5/18/2009)
You can see my car and my flat perfectly. And my bedroom curtains are drawn, which means I was asleep: I work nights and I thought it very clever and fun. We have new windows now, so it's a pity they didn't wait a year.
And you could have seen exactly the same thing if you'd walked by, so what's the problem?
Very useful if you are house hunting, or needing to check out the address of a client, which is what a friend of mine uses it for ;)
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Bennet Pullen 5:23PM (5/18/2009)
I don't think it's an invasion of privacy. If it can be seen from a public street anybody can see it any way. I understand the high-mounted cameras being a concern so as long as they are no higher than a typical lifted pickup or something what is there to complain about?
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Eric Bandholz 5:30PM (5/18/2009)
As someone looking for a new home in a city I've never been to I think streetview is a godsend. It's the easiest way to tell what the neighborhood looks like from far away.
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pmiddle5 4:08AM (5/19/2009)
did that when trying to figure out where I wanted to move in SF. SOOO nice
The Other Bob 5:32PM (5/18/2009)
I was bummed when I took a look at my house, that my garage was wide open and a mess inside. Other than that, it was no big deal.
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DayShifter 5:49PM (5/18/2009)
I'm so sick of China!!!......
First their dang censoring of the search tool, now this...
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