Tag archive: Google Street

While the Google Street car has been known to capture some crazy situations, this is the first time that the vehicle has snapped several photographs of a naked woman within the United States. Captured standing outside her house holding a water jug, the Miami-based woman catches the Google automobile turning the corner and continues to put her hand up to her mouth in shock in subsequent pictures. The vehicle captured at least three images of the… Read More

In a partnership with the Sustainable Amazon Foundation, a team from Google has taken it upon themselves to map out the endangered South American rainforest as well as collect photo data of the communities of people that live there. To start, Google mounted the cameras on boats that travel the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers to create 360-degree panoramics of the waters and dense forest. On land, Google is using tricycles to navigate along dirt… Read More

Broughton is a pleasant English village, technically part of the town of Milton Keynes. But it became the scene of confrontation last week when residents physically blocked a Google Street View car from taking pictures. Their reasons, they said, were that it invaded privacy and was “facilitating crime.” When resident Paul Jacobs saw the car, he called neighbors and they formed a cordon to prevent the vehicle going further. He… Read More

There’s more to Google Street View than entertainment and not getting lost, it seems. Authorities have used it, along with GPS tracking from a cell phone, to locate a nine-year-old girl reportedly taken by her grandmother. The problem began after Rose Maltais collected her granddaughter Natalie from her guardians for a weekend away. Athol, Massachusetts, police chief Timothy Anderson told the BBC that Rose Maltais "said that… Read More

The Kanshi Shakai o Kyohisuru Kai (Campaign Against Surveillance Society), a group of Japanese lawyers and professors led by Sophia University constitutional law professor Yasuhiko Tajima, have asked Internet giant Google to shut down Google Street View on the grounds that it violates basic privacy rights. Google Street View provides 360-degree, panoramic views of selected streets and areas from a pedestrian or vehicle's perspective,… Read More

Apple has released version 2.2 of its software for the iPhone and iPod touch, tweaking the interface on the devices and adding significant new features to the integrated Maps applications. The update is available for free via iTunes, but eager updaters should take note that the update is mammoth, weighing in between 240 and 270 MB, depending on the device being updated. The update includes improvements to the integrated Mail application,… Read More

What is Google’s stance on privacy? That’s the question being asked, at least by Ken Boehm of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) after The Smoking Gun website reveal court papers filed by the search giant in a privacy suit over its Street Views mapping tool. In its filing Google asserts that “complete privacy doesn’t exist.” But, says NLPC’s Boehm, Google had responded to a politician by saying… Read More

When Google’s Street View mapping tool was proposed for the UK, privacy groups were quick to shout no, but now the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has given the nod to the service, although it has requested another meeting with Google prior to the UK Street View launch. The system uses panoramic photographs to show locations in cities and towns, which are added to Google Street Maps. The technology debuted in the US in… Read More

While its legal status in Canada may still be up in the air, Google Street View has expanded into six new U.S. cities without problems. Google announced the addition on Tuesday on its Lat Long Blog. Online pedestrians can now peruse Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland and Tucson. Besides the added locations, Google has also improved the quality of Street View imagery. Views in Phoenix, Tucson and Chicago are all high… Read More

It’s no secret that Google Street View caused a splash with privacy groups in the United States when it debuted in May, but there was ultimately no legal reason for complaint since all of the photos were taken on public streets. The same may not be true in Canada, where tougher privacy laws prohibit publishing photos of identifiable people without permission. According to Reuters UK, Google may actually have to blur our… Read More