Switzerland Tells Google To Take Down Street View
from the how-dare-you-provide-a-useful-service dept
Following a bunch of other countries, it looks like Switzerland is the latest to freak out over Google Street View and to ban it, just a week after it was introduced. Google is apparently surprised by this move, noting that it had been talking to the Swiss gov't and had a bunch of privacy safeguards in place, which seemed to be working. Of course, you have to ask, are there surveillance cameras in Switzerland? If so, why is that okay when Google's Street View is not? Surveillance cameras are real-time. Street View is not. Surveillance cameras do not blur faces/license plates. Street View does. Why is one allowed and the other not? Of course, given how many local gov'ts have freaked out about Street View, it does make you wonder why Google would launch it these days without first having assurances from the gov't that it would be okay.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: privacy, street view, switzerland
Companies: google
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Grrrr...
...and Dark Helmet tells Switzerland that Mega Maid is on her way to take their air...
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Something is missing. Not sure what exactly but something doesn't make sense.
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Street view is accessible to everyone in the world. Surveillance cameras are not.
Sort of changes the story a bit. Nice reach Mike.
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How is the story changed?
As far as I can tell, the Swiss gov still wants street view gone.
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only governments are allowed to have cameras for their viewing pleasure!!!
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Some of the cameras use Wifi with WEP to send to traffic poles which then drop into a hard-wired network...so pretty much easily accessible to everyone.
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I still think that's pretty sad, actually, because once a complaint reaches google they only take a couple of hours to remove / blur the image.
I can only say: typically Swiss. Always aim for the perfect (impossible) solution.
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Then again I've always assumed logic is a skillset somewhat unneeded in politics.
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Yep
I read this post and found it disturbing, so I checked some of the (reliable) Swiss news agencies. They tell a slightly different story.
Yeah, too much nanny is no good and drives people mad (or out of the country).
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This still completely baffles me.
I reckon lots of people who do are just Google haters.
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Re: This still completely baffles me.
I'm not against streetview per se, however I do have concerns about googles regard for privacy. Yes they may take down pictures people request quite quickly, but some of the burden should lie with google not to take those pictures in the first place.
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in defense of the swiss
I live most of the time in NY, but have been spending a good chunk of the year in Zurich.
When I saw the phrase "nanny state" I felt I had to chime in.
I spend time in Switzerland precisely because it is NOT a nanny state - at least no where near what NY/America has become. The authorities here are very respectful of your privacy and actually treat you like a non-criminal - ex: it is much, much more pleasant entering this country as a non-citizen than it is entering America as a citizen.
You can swim here in the Limmat river at any hour, have a beer, even smoke a joint, and no one cares - no lifeguards, no signs, etc... I know that at parts of the Jersey shore in the US you cannot even throw frisbees anymore, bring your dog, or bring any containers of food or drink! My experiences here only make it clearer to me how unlivable America and most of western europe has become.
I also have seen the swiss versions of the google street view story. It does seem that they do not want to eliminate it permanently, just put it off line until all issues are solved. While the libertarian in me has problems with that, there is something to be said for swiss time frame.
Look - the swiss have remained stable for a thousand years b/c they move very slowly, and there is something to be said for that.
Anyway, just my two cents. The swiss guy in Austria should check out the states and then write back about what a nanny state really is :)
- Ana
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Perplexed
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Oops...
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Why?
Why does every business would wants to launch a new service have to seek "assurances" from the government?
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Swiss government are a fairly nasty bunch of racists atm who've banned "asylum seekers" (or as some of the politicians put it "dark skinned scum") from going to various cities/places within cities. Segregation similiar to the US in the 1960s.
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