back to article Czechs stop Google Street View

Google will not get permission to continue developing its Street View database of images unless it obeys Czech laws. The Office for Personal Data Protection said that Google, as a US company, must appoint a representative in the Czech Republic to act as data controller. It has not done so. The regulator also said: "In order …

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  1. Dan 55 Silver badge
    FAIL

    In other news...

    Spain's let them go ahead, saying that Google doesn't directly trade the information which was obtained and the data isn't held in Spanish territory.

    http://www.lavanguardia.es/internet-y-tecnologia/noticias/20100921/54008832731/la-fiscalia-archiva-su-investigacion-sobre-el-caso-street-view-de-google.html

    D'oh.

  2. JeffyPooh
    Pint

    "...beyond the extent of the ordinary sight from a street..."

    Ah, just use a shorter mast on the spy-car.

    Put the camera at about 2m AGL and job's a good'n.

    1. Gabor Laszlo
      Troll

      1.80, more like

      Also, use very long exposition times, over 1s, so the faces of people walking my and moving cars would be blurred. That would mean the cars have to stop to take pictures. I would also add a requirement to signal (honk?) before taking a photo, so people have the chance to turn their backs (or moon the camera).

      1. Blain Hamon
        Stop

        The spycar doesn't work that way

        From what I've seen, the car (and camera) itself is moving while the camera is taking photos every dozen meters or so, otherwise it'd make for horrible traffic jams. Not only that, but it has a spinning mirror, so make the number of exposures about six times that. Ironically, it means that the 1s exposure would make the buildings, signs, and everything that people WANT the street view for would be blurred out, with only the license plates of cars (going the same way) perfectly readable.

        Makes the second requirement easy: Just have the car horn constantly on as it drives for hours and hours on end.

  3. dephormation.org.uk
    Thumb Up

    Good

    Well done Czech Republic.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Well Done?

      So Google declined to grease a few palms in the Czech government. I suspect this has nothing to do with Google ignoring or breaking any laws and more to do with their ignoring certain local "customs".

  4. heyrick Silver badge

    I like Streetview

    I like exploring places I'm unlikely to ever go.

    It's a shame the system is being run by wallies with no real idea about privacy. Surely it can't be too hard to put a camera on the front and on the back and join the pictures that way, for a more street level view?

  5. Grease Monkey Silver badge

    Satellites

    "The president of the Office for Personal Data Protection, Igor Němec, told reporters at a press conference in Prague that it had received many complaints that Google's Street View cameras took images beyond those accessible from the street."

    Has anybody told him about the numerous websites using aerial photography and satelite images?

  6. Arion

    This is stupid.

    If you want to maintain privacy then you don't expose it to the street. If you can see it from the street then it's fair game.

  7. skwdenyer

    Nonsense

    I really don't understand what the problem with Street View is. I can go to any street in the UK, set up a step ladder on the pavement, and have a look around. Why shouldn't Google allow me to do this without going there?

    If people don't want to be seen on a given street, don't go to that street. There are many problems with privacy, but Street View really isn't one of them in my opinion.

  8. Intractable Potsherd

    In principle...

    ... I don't actually see a problem with Google having to appoint a Data Controller in every country they have Street View. At least some of it can be described as "personal data", falling under the EU Data Protection legislation.

    However, like the AC above, I agree that it is obvious that this is more to do with not making it "worthwhile" for the powers that be to look the other way!

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