It’s hard to believe that Google’s Street View has been in use for over four years. What’s more amazing, perhaps, given the rate at which they have canvassed the world’s streets and alleyways, that there is anywhere left unmapped. But while their teams have successfully traced the surfaces of most large cities and a number of other interesting areas, I suppose it won’t come as a surprise that the remote reaches of the Amazon have not yet been put under the lens.
They aim to change that, however, and have detailed in a blog post their plans to Street-View-ize a large section of the river. It’s being done in collaboration with the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon, a nonprofit working in the area. → Read More
Man, another day, another “Google in privacy uproar” story. I guess my name is Phil Connors. The UK Information Commissioner has said that yes, in fact, Google did commit a “significant breach” of the Data Privacy Act when it collected people’s private information with its Street View vehicles. Great, so what happens now? → Read More
Google may have ended its feud with the Federal Trade Commission, but its standing in Europe isn’t as cut-and-dry. Street View, the mapping service that has caused much consternation, has just gone live in Germany, but in a modified form. So far, the only place where it’s gone live is Oberstaufen in Munich → Read More
After much hullabaloo, Google and the Federal Trade Commission have kissed and made up. This, only a few days after Google admitted to “accidentally” collecting people’s private data with its Street View cars. Google had promised, in so many words, that it would never do that (collect people’s private data) again, a promise that satisfied the FTC. And, scene. → Read More
If Google Street View and Chatroulette mated and gave birth to a lovechild, it’d look a lot like MapCrunch. For the record, this is not a TechCrunch network site, and would have probably been better off with a name like MapRoulette or StreetviewRoulette or something.
Either way, if you want to be taken to a random location on Google Street View (in North America, Europe, Asia or Australasia), either by clicking a button or automagically after a couple of seconds, MapCrunch is the mash-up place to be. → Read More
Parts of Europe have been, for whatever reason, more wary of Google’s Street View service than others. The occasional lawsuit hasn’t prevented the march of progress, though Italy’s new regulations may cause more of a hassle than the occasional grumpy homeowner. The Privacy Authority President, Francesco Pizzetti, described the outrage:
“There has been strong alarm and also hostility in a lot of European countries against Google taking photos. We have received protests even from local administrations.”
Odd that a country so heavily invested in their tourist industry, which consists largely of foreign people taking millions of photos of the country’s most precious possessions, would take issue with the far more systematic and predictable Street View operations. Considering their handling of that other incident, it seems that perhaps the Italian government is simply not equipped to deal progressively with the implications and consequences of the internet and Google in particular. → Read More
For the longest time Google had denied that its Street View cars had ever captured data—logins, passwords, and the like—from open Wi-Fi access points. Well, it’s now admitted to doing so, saying that such data was “mistakenly collected.” Google says it’s “mortified. → Read More
Google cannot contain its legal problems surrounding the inadvertent collection of personal data from WiFi networks by ots global fleet of Street View cars. Earlier today, police in South Korea raided Google’s offices there to confiscate computers storing data collected from Street View cars in that country. This action follows similar investigations in France, Germany, the UK (where Google was cleared), and a multi-state investigation in the U.S. → Read More
The question now becomes, how much trouble will Google get in for its wanton stealing of private data? You’ll recall that Google was caught collecting data from people’s open Wi-Fi access points, something the company just sorta brushed off. Google shrugged its shoulders and said, “meh, whatever, we didn’t do anything wrong here.” If only the various governments of the world saw it that way. France, fresh off its World Cup farce, says that Google’s Street View vehicles collected people’s passwords as they drove about—not cool, no. → Read More
Google has been making Maps and Earth are a bit more social these days, letting users create 3D buildings and using crowdsourcing to help update changes in terrain and on roads. Now Google Street View is hoping to engage users by letting them suggest spots where the “Trike” should venture. → Read More
If you suddenly find yourself with $300 to burn, an old laptop, and too much time on your hands this weekend, I might suggest that you build a DIY Google Street View-style rig for your car. That’s what West Point student Roy Ragsdale did for his “disruptive technologies” class. And if someone at West Point does it, it’s okay for you to do it. → Read More
Can’t get enough of the Google Street View Trike? Here’s a video of the same, allowing you to bask in the glory of a bike that will steal your privacy as it trundles through your small English town. → Read More
Google has updated its Street View to include such major UK cities as London, Belfast, Birmingham, and Cardiff (hello to my friends in Wales). Predictably, the privacy argument has arisen; I say predictably because it hasn’t died down here in the states yet. And after all, the “surveillance society” controversy is even more hotly discussed over there — what with cameras on every street corner. → Read More
Thanks for waiting patiently for this to all pan out over the last year or so, but that Pittsburgh couple that wanted $25,000+ from Google after noticing their home on Google Maps Street View has had their case thrown out of court. → Read More
I’ve been cruising around my neighborhood in the updated Street View today and have already found a few interesting items. For instance, as you see above, the stretch of northbound I-5 above Eastlake is now a terrifying corridor of colorful static. I haven’t driven that stretch in a few weeks so I guess it’s possible, but I should have noticed it when I was out there at the Lo-Fi last Saturday. What other glitches mar the face of the Emerald City? → Read More
The Google Maps for Mobile team pushed a new version of their application today, with two hugely awesome features packed inside. They’ve added support for Street View, which allows you to get a pedestrian’s-eye view of any street Google has cruised down with their panoramic-shootin’ super car. It’s a feature that has been around for quite some time on the desktop version, but is mounds more useful on-the-go. The new release also adds walking directions for those of us that count on our kickers to get around. If there’s a sidewalk to walk on, your feet don’t care if a street is one way. As long as you’ve got a compatible handset (BlackBerry, and most Java-enabled phones), you can nab the new release by pointing it at http://m.google.com/maps → Read More
Flickr’d A European Union official has warned Google to play nice with EU privacy laws if and when it launches a European version of Google Maps Street View. The service, which provides street-level photos of certain areas, has generated concern among privacy advocates and home owners. In response, Google will now automatically blur faces of people present in Street View photos. As it relates to the EU, Google will need to respect the union’s myriad privacy laws or face court cases that will ultimately decide the service’s “success or failure.” Of course, Google, for its part, said it has every intention of complying with the laws. Regulation makes the world go ’round. via Drudge Report → Read More
This is definitely one of the funnier things I’ve seen on the entire internet. Hop on over to Google Maps and enjoy a shot-by-shot account of a kid falling off of his bike. It almost seems like the StreetView car scared the hell out of him as it drove by. I hope the kid’s okay and I’d like to thank him for being hilarious. Google StreetView via Switched → Read More
If previous Google Maps Street View complaints have seemed somewhat frivolous and paranoid, this latest one might be enough to change your mind. The Smoking Gun is reporting that a home not far from the Pittsburgh home Nicholas told us about a few days ago has been thoroughly documented in true Street View form. More photos and information after the jump. → Read More
Photos taken for the European version of Google Street Views will soon have people’s faces and license plates pixelated out, like so many innocent non-suspects on your favorite episode of COPS. The same privacy protection may come to the US version as well, although Google has made no formal announcement yet other than to say that it’s "thinking about it." Might as well just do it, Google. Better safe than pantless, am I right? Google Streetview Airbrushing Their European Edition [TechCrunch] → Read More
