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Google Street View Is an Invasion of My Privacy


Guest X

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I am really freaked out about Google's street view program. Now I am worried that people publically access what my home looks like from the roof and side. Who knows what weird people can now do. They could break in. I am sure that this helps terrorist plan an attack. When is their Big Brother crap going to stop.

 

Guess what DC Government official lives here

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=47...9361941907,,0,5

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Guest BlackSun_*

It's not the fear of this program and it's limited capabilities, but the whole idea in general that this program even exists and the realization that it may not be the only tool the government is using to quote "track" us. How can we manage the burden to monitor Google's secret actions. They don't listen to anyone. They are worse than Microsoft. That is scary.

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I learn something new every day.

 

Here is Google's release about their street view program

 

Street View, the basics

What is Street View?

Street View NYC

 

Street View takes Google Maps to a new level, allowing you to visually explore and navigate a neighborhood through panoramic street-level photographs.

What can I use Street View for?

 

Street View has a variety of practical uses. Using Street View you can easily find the exact location for your crucial meeting or the nearest coffee shop, plan a restaurant venue to meet friends for dinner, or find the best viewing spot for a marathon or parade. Street View is integrated with the driving directions from Google Maps, so you can also preview your route to get there.

 

If you are moving or re-locating, you can save time by exploring properties and their surrounding area in advance. If you are planning a trip, Street View allows you to check out a hotel or vacation spot before you book, and to explore different travel destinations around the world.

Cool, how can I check it out?

 

Street View is currently available in most major metropolitan regions in the United States, as well as other regions throughout the world. Start by going to maps.google.com. In areas where Street View is available, you can access it by zooming into the lowest level on Google Maps, or by dragging the orange "Pegman" icon on the left-hand side of the map onto a street.

 

http://www.google.com/press/streetview/

 

Google also states:

 

If a user finds an image that they consider objectionable they can report it by clicking on "Report Concern" at the bottom left corner of the image. This will take you to a short form where you can report objectionable imagery or request takedown. We review all takedown requests as soon as possible and act quickly to remove objectionable imagery.

 

[Take] a virtual walk-through of the area and property you're interested in. Look at nearby amenities such as parks, roads, bus stops, shopping areas and parking...

 

I wonder how long that would take?

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You think that is bad how about the fact they can now pinpoint your exact location with GPS or approximate it with WiFi. CEO Eric Schmidt has gone on record saying the company sees mobile devices and location-based targeting as the next big revenue growth opportunity.

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In Google's defense many companies are getting into this. DCpages is experimented with this technology about 10 years ago.

 

http://dcpages.com/Tourism/Virtual_Tour/Im...mage61_pf.shtml

 

Remote Reality is now working with the government doing security. I refrained from doing streets because I thought it would be an invasion of privacy. But, our government really has no internet privacy rules that cover this subject.

 

Privacy is a central element of the FTC's consumer protection mission. In recent years, advances in computer technology have made it possible for detailed information about people to be compiled and shared more easily and cheaply than ever. That has produced many benefits for society as a whole and individual consumers. For example, it is easier for law enforcement to track down criminals, for banks to prevent fraud, and for consumers to learn about new products and services, allowing them to make better-informed purchasing decisions. At the same time, as personal information becomes more accessible, each of us - companies, associations, government agencies, and consumers - must take precautions to protect against the misuse of our information.

 

The Federal Trade Commission is educating consumers and businesses about the importance of personal information privacy, including the security of personal information. Under the FTC Act, the Commission guards against unfairness and deception by enforcing companies' privacy promises about how they collect, use and secure consumers' personal information. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Commission has implemented rules concerning financial privacy notices and the administrative, technical and physical safeguarding of personal information, and it aggressively enforces against pretexting. The Commission also protects consumer privacy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Use the topic links on the left to read more about our efforts in each of these areas, including what we've learned, and what you can do to protect the privacy of your personal information.

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Luke I think you are going to easy on Google. They are testing how far they can go before people get fed up. They have access to your computer files. They have access to your email. They have access to your location. They have access to what your home looks like. They have a satellite that watches you. If you protest they can take your story out of their search results. If you do not like what they are doing then you must be further inconvenienced to take the time to find all the information they have on us and fill out a request for removal.

 

What makes this point worse is that Google does not have to remove your content if they do not want to. Just try to contact them. They have no phone numbers.

Edited by BlackSun
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Legal experts say there is no hard-and-fast legal rule that blesses all public photography. "Privacy laws vary from state to state, but there have been instances where legal liability was found even for photos taken in public," an attorney urging changes to Street View, Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said

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Hamas militants in Gaza, who have been firing rockets into Israel, and the Pakistan-based terrorists, who stormed Mumbai late last year, are among several radical groups that have reportedly used Google Earth to help in the execution of their missions.

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The latest discovery made via Google Earth was made by Swiss police, who spotted a two-acre marijuana crop in the middle of a cornfield.

 

Swiss cops discovered the crop in the rural area of Thurgau while trying to locate the addresses of some farmers suspected to be involved in a drug ring. In addition to 16 arrests, authorities seized 1.2 tons of hash and marijuana along with cash and valuables worth about $780,000.

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Guest Malcominthefront

Google's Street View feature can be thanked for the below Norman Rockwellesque photo snapped by the search giant's roaming camera car. The gun (and Harley-Davidson) enthusiast was photographed on a Rapid City, South Dakota street after he apparently left First Stop Guns, a family-run Main Street establishment "specializing in high grade and collectible firearms.

 

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years...091harley1.html

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You don’t have to worry about Google and privacy. NSA and CIA already know what everyone does and provides information to US companies. So don’t worry you are in good hands with Google…

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Read this...

 

How often do you find yourself wondering where your friends are and what they're up to? It's a pretty central question to our daily social lives, and it's precisely the question you can now answer using Google Latitude.

 

Latitude is a new feature for Google Maps on your mobile device. It's also an iGoogle gadget on your computer. Once you've opted in to Latitude, you can see the approximate location of your friends and loved ones who have decided to share their location with you. So now you can do things like see if your spouse is stuck in traffic on the way home from work, notice that a buddy is in town for the weekend, or take comfort in knowing that a loved one's flight landed safely, despite bad weather.

 

And with Latitude, not only can you see your friends' locations on a map, but you can also be in touch directly via SMS, Google Talk, Gmail, or by updating your status message; you can even upload a new profile photo on the fly. It's a fun way to feel close to the people you care about.

 

Fun aside, we recognize the sensitivity of location data, so we've built fine-grained privacy controls right into the application. Everything about Latitude is opt-in. You not only control exactly who gets to see your location, but you also decide the location that they see. For instance, let's say you are in Rome. Instead of having your approximate location detected and shared automatically, you can manually set your location for elsewhere — perhaps a visit to Niagara Falls . Since you may not want to share the same information with everyone, Latitude lets you change the settings on a friend-by-friend basis. So for each person, you can choose to share your best available location or your city-level location, or you can hide. Everything is under your control and, of course, you can sign out of Latitude at any time. Check out this video to learn more about the privacy features.

 

Finally, since we'd like you to be able to use Latitude with any of your friends, we've been working hard to make it available to as many people as possible. Today, Latitude is available in 27 countries, and we hope to add more soon.

 

Ready to share your location? If you have a mobile smartphone, visit google.com/latitude on your phone's web browser to download the latest version of Google Maps for mobile with Latitude. Latitude is available on Blackberry, S60, and Windows Mobile, and will be available on Android in the next few days. We expect it will be coming to the iPhone, through Google Mobile App, very soon.

 

No smartphone? No worries. Visit google.com/latitude on your desktop or laptop to install the Latitude iGoogle gadget and share your location right from your computer. If you have Google Gears installed in your browser (you do by default if you use Google Chrome), you can automatically share your location; otherwise, manually set your location to let your friends know where you are.

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  • 1 month later...

Village Rises Up Against Google "Street View" Surveillance Car

 

Angry villagers formed a human chain to thwart the progress of a Google Street View car that was in the process of taking photographs of their homes.

 

Police were called to Broughton in Buckinghamshire yesterday, after furious villagers blocked one of the cars, complaining it was an invasion of their privacy and that the photographs would attract burglaries.

 

Paul Jacobs, a local resident, spotted the car yesterday morning, thanks to the distinctive 360-degree camera attached to its roof. He told the driver not to enter the village, then roused fellow residents by knocking on their doors. The driver eventually did a U-turn and left the scene.

 

Google Street View, a controversial mapping service that launched in the UK last month, gives 360-degree views of Britain’s biggest cities, allowing people to take virtual tours from their computers or mobile phones…

 

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne...icle6022902.ece

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Guest Human_*

I don't use google street or what ever; it's a waste of time.

Oh!!! and if you think this is scary about google? LOL

 

I had one program removed out there "WWW" that with simply putting some ones SS number, you could get back all of the information pertaining to that SS number.<~~~~~ Now this was scary bleep.

 

For the record; It took me only two working days to get it removed.

 

I would bet good money that the democrats are happy as sin that I had Most "99.999%" of the White House telephone numbers removed, including the President Of the United states telephone number also considering that they hold the White House Now

 

It really is unreal stuff in what I have run into on the net. Just cause some folks wanted to do their duty for the democrat party, or to act like big shots on the net "Stupid Stuff".

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Guest Human_*

OH Gawd!!!! make that 95%, just found another one. Unreal, not cool at all. Don't folks learn out there??????????????????????????????

 

Oh! and once I finish posting this, I WILL be calling the secret service again.

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Guest Human_*

From the agent I just talked with, it didn't seem to bother him any that the white house numbers are online. Am I the only one looking at this cross eyed??????????????????????

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OH Gawd!!!! make that 95%, just found another one. Unreal, not cool at all. Don't folks learn out there??????????????????????????????

 

Oh! and once I finish posting this, I WILL be calling the secret service again.

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  • 1 year later...
Guest Harman

Google Inc. issued an apology Friday May 14, 2010, acknowledging it has been vacuuming up and recording fragments of people's online activities broadcast over public Wi-Fi networks while expanding its street mapping feature.

 

Read the Official Google Blog

 

 

http://googleblog.bl...ion-update.html

 

On Friday May 14 the Irish Data Protection Authority asked us to delete the payload data we collected in error in Ireland. We can confirm that all data identified as being from Ireland was deleted over the weekend in the presence of an independent third party. We are reaching out to Data Protection Authorities in the other relevant countries about how to dispose of the remaining data as quickly as possible.

 

You can read the letter from the independent third party, confirming deletion, here.

 

Nine days ago the data protection authority (DPA) in Hamburg, Germany asked to audit the WiFi data that our Street View cars collect for use in location-based products like Google Maps for mobile, which enables people to find local restaurants or get directions. His request prompted us to re-examine everything we have been collecting, and during our review we discovered that a statement made in a blog post on April 27 was incorrect.

 

In that blog post, and in a technical note sent to data protection authorities the same day, we said that while Google did collect publicly broadcast SSID information (the WiFi network name) and MAC addresses (the unique number given to a device like a WiFi router) using Street View cars, we did not collect payload data (information sent over the network). But it's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) WiFi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products.

 

However, we will typically have collected only fragments of payload data because: our cars are on the move; someone would need to be using the network as a car passed by; and our in-car WiFi equipment automatically changes channels roughly five times a second. In addition, we did not collect information traveling over secure, password-protected WiFi networks.

 

So how did this happen? Quite simply, it was a mistake. In 2006 an engineer working on an experimental WiFi project wrote a piece of code that sampled all categories of publicly broadcast WiFi data. A year later, when our mobile team started a project to collect basic WiFi network data like SSID information and MAC addresses using Google's Street View cars, they included that code in their software—although the project leaders did not want, and had no intention of using, payload data.

 

As soon as we became aware of this problem, we grounded our Street View cars and segregated the data on our network, which we then disconnected to make it inaccessible. We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and are currently reaching out to regulators in the relevant countries about how to quickly dispose of it.

 

Maintaining people's trust is crucial to everything we do, and in this case we fell short. So we will be:

 

* Asking a third party to review the software at issue, how it worked and what data it gathered, as well as to confirm that we deleted the data appropriately; and

* Internally reviewing our procedures to ensure that our controls are sufficiently robust to address these kinds of problems in the future.

 

In addition, given the concerns raised, we have decided that it's best to stop our Street View cars collecting WiFi network data entirely.

 

This incident highlights just how publicly accessible open, non-password-protected WiFi networks are today. Earlier this year, we encrypted Gmail for all our users, and next week we will start offering an encrypted version of Google Search. For other services users can check that pages are encrypted by looking to see whether the URL begins with "https", rather than just "http"; browsers will generally show a lock icon when the connection is secure. For more information about how to password-protect your network, read this.

 

The engineering team at Google works hard to earn your trust—and we are acutely aware that we failed badly here. We are profoundly sorry for this error and are determined to learn all the lessons we can from our mistake.

 

Posted by Alan Eustace, Senior VP, Engineering & Research

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Guest Scruffy

Google Inc. issued an apology Friday May 14, 2010, acknowledging it has been vacuuming up and recording fragments of people's online activities broadcast over public Wi-Fi networks while expanding its street mapping feature.

 

Read the Official Google Blog

 

WHAT THE HELL, GOOGLE??

 

I do not believe this was an accident, at all, no way.

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