By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-03-25 15:53:21 | Word Count: 664
If you have ever wondered how Google gathers all the images needed to produce those Street View maps, it isn’t rocket science. Unlike their satellite maps, Google provides users with maps that capture images from cameras that are lodged onto cars and bicycles. When you search for a location using Google Maps, you can view clear, high resolution images that depict the surroundings in a detailed way. The first time I discovered this, I was a little intrigued. I even thought it was cool until I realized that the whole world could tell me all the details of my own house. It’s a little creepy. Well that is just how some countries feel about Google.
There are over thirty countries that have an issue with the methods by which Google gathers images and data. The contention doesn’t just deal with the method of data-gathering but also with how the data is stored. Google is not supposed to gather payload data from Wi-Fi networks that are not encrypted. Google claims that this was done in error and said that the action was stopped as soon as the mistake was recognized. They have even promised to delete the data that was collected. Google is currently being fined by a French group, the CNIL. They are fining Google because of the privacy boundaries that were breached. Google will either have to pay the euro 100,000 fine or appeal the fine within two months.
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Of course this fine doesn’t nearly put a dent in Google’s resources. It amounts to roughly, $141,300, which must seem like pennies to this corporate heavyweight. Even though a few dozen countries have complained about Google and its’ practices, this is the first fine of this nature. This fine is more symbolic than anything else. The CNIL is sending a message to Google that practices that put peoples’ privacy in jeopardy, whether intentional or not, will not be tolerated. This fine is a bold statement that lets Google know that mistakes of this kind won’t be tolerated.
Google Maps is one of the features that have helped to bolster Google usage over the years. Their Street and Satellite View applications have enticed and maintained user interest, along with their map and direction tools. No matter the positive contribution, citizens of the world want to ensure that their right to privacy is upheld. Once you allow one company to gather data inappropriately, without consequence, this opens the door for others to do the same. If this happens, there is no telling what will be done with the information and images that are collected.
People are skeptical because the ability to act as Big Brother is only increased by the incorporation of new technology. Internet, satellite and visual technology are all getting more advanced. No one wants to be incriminated or targeted because of an unauthorized image that is captured by Google or any other company. Even governmental bodies want to protect itself from Google’s spying cameras.
