A Worthwhile View

Google Street View has seen some controversy lately. The Czech Republic has recently decided not to allow Google to continue taking photographs for the company’s data-mapping system, which offers users a panoramic view of an area from the street level. This decision was made in response to concerns regarding the privacy of citizens, although existing pictures are still available for use and negotiations between the two sides are still in progress.

Google says that it protects citizens enough by blurring faces and taking down images that are subject to complaints, and we agree. We believe that the service is useful: It provides a public good and therefore should be allowed to continue providing people all over the world with information about what different parts of the world—or even their own streets—look like. We hope that the Czech Republic will come to terms with the fact that what Google provides will not seriously compromise any of its citizens, considering that if they ask for it to be taken down, it will be.

The Czech Republic, however, is not alone in its concerns regarding Google Street View. In Germany, where the service will be implemented in November of this year, the government has accused Google of collecting wi-fi data that was sent over unencrypted networks while gathering pictures for the service. Taking a cue from the Czechs, the government has also asked that citizens be given a period of time to opt-out of being photographed before the service is launched. This means that besides faces and license plates being blurred and the option of applying for removal of an image—all standard procedure for Street View in America and elsewhere—German citizens can decide to prevent photographs of their property from appearing on the website before the service even goes live.

However, some opponents of Street View are not satisfied even by Germany’s demands and want the service to be opt-in. This would mean that, in order for a picture of one’s house to be posted, one would have to give explicit permission—an unrealistic expectation. Making the service opt-in would dramatically decrease the amount of information available on it and would make the program basically worthless. Although we do not even think that opting out is entirely necessary, it is a much better compromise than forcing all content to be opt-in.

In the United States, citizens do not reserve the right to privacy in the public domain, where it is understood that requesting permission for a picture to be taken is a courtesy rather than a legal obligation. It is our hope that other countries trend toward a more progressive outlook in regard to this service, allowing similar technologies to be put in place in their nations as well.