Now it’s the Google Street View Map Cars that they want banned – again for reasons of security. The panoramic views being shot to update the Google Maps contain pictures of residences and estates and owners are up in arms.
After lobbying successfully to have at least faces and license plates blurred or obscured in Google Map Street View photos, there is still quite a bit of upheaval about the amount of private information that is still available.
Reinhold Harwart, CDU, from Molfsee: “We won’t accept this! We don’t want to be seen on the internet with our houses. You can see everything on these photos! This opens the doors to our houses to criminals.” Insofar as potential commercial use: “Google must request a special street usage permit if they want to film here at our place – and we will reject this request.”
Rainer Voß, mayor of Ratzeburg stated:”These images allow everyone to get an impression of the people’s living situation. We cannot allow this.”
Gabriele Hiller-Ohm, SPD, Lübeck, says: “The whole thing is highly alarming.” and wants to put this topic on the agenda of the German Bundestag.
Thorsten Geißler, CDU, Lübeck: “The ‘Street View’ data can be abused by criminals. That’s very critical.”
The main objection, again, is fear of crimes being perpetrated because of the lack of concern for privacy. Google may need to recognize that Germany is a lost cause as far as trust is concerned, or else start figuring out what they can do to win that trust. The back and forth is getting tiresome.
Tags: Germany, privacy, Street View