Media News - Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Swiss privacy commissioner says “nein” to Google Street View

Google Street View can be an extremely helpful tool. Street View has drawn its share of critics, however, and we can now add the government of Switzerland to that list. Just days after launching Street View in Portugal, Switzerland, and Taiwan, the search giant has been told by the Swiss Government that it needs to yank the Street View from its Swiss maps, a development that has left the search giant "surprised." Hanspeter Thür, the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), has accused Google of not having taken the necessary steps to safeguard the privacy of Swiss citizens. Thür has demanded that "Google Inc. immediately withdraw its online service Google Street View concerning Switzerland," according to a statement. In the months leading up to its launch, Street View had been a concern in Switzerland. Thür's office has an informational page (in German and French) on its site devoted to the service. It includes instructions on how to get your face blurred if you show up in a snapshot of a street and says that Google would be allowed to offer Street View for Swiss streets only if "negotiated conditions" be met. The anonymity issue is one that Google has had to frequently negotiate since launching the service. In May 2008, the European Union reminded Google that it needed to respect local privacy laws. (Ars Technica)

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