Google Maps Street View

1. Google Maps Street View Is it ethical? 'Bill' was caught on Street View Australia after he collapsed in a drunken stupor on his mother's lawn. He apparently had gone out drinking to get over his grief after losing a friend to a boating accident. http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Google_Street_View_Embarasses_Man_Passed_Out_Drunk/551-92121-643.html

2. What is it? • Check out my wikispaces page: http://googleearthstreetview.wikispaces.com • Launched in May 2007, it is satellite software that allows you to virtually “walk” down a street (360-panoramic views)

3. Pros • "travel" without having to pay airfare • navigate before a trip • "see" a friend's new house • classroom use to help educate students on places away from their homes • find stores before you go shopping • explore the globe further (ex. read an article in the newspaper, but then actually "see" where it happens) • tell stories and show people images of where you actually traveled after you come home Summary: Can be used as a great tool

4. Cons • see people's faces as they walk down a street • see children playing in their yards • have your house shown, regardless of whether or not you live on a private drive (no permission is needed) • allow criminals to see where the entries and exits are to your home • show competitors a prototype of a new product if it is outside when Google drives past and they later post the image • capture private or criminal moments • put military/national safety at risk Summary: Can invade privacy

5. Scenario 1: Aaron and Christine Boring • Google posted images of their home, which was at the end of a driveway marked “private road” • Tried to sue for “mental suffering” and diminished property value • Photos of the couple’s home and floor plans were already available on the Internet (on the Allegheny County assessor’s office website) • The Borings didn’t opt to have the images removed from Street View and drew more attention to themselves by attempts to sue Google. • It’s legal to take photos from public streets in the USA http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208401206&subSection=Management http://pulse2.com/2009/02/19/google-vs-the-borings-case-dismissed/

6. Scenario 2: Personal Images • Google initially did not have face blurring technologies utilized • Individuals can request to have images removed • Is removal good enough? http://www.urlesque.com/2009/02/05/top-10-moments-caught-on-google-maps-street-view/ http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68385

7. Scenario 3: Military Bases • Pentagon upset in Fort Sam Houston fiasco • Not allowed on U.S. military bases • If Google can do it, probably others can as well • Governments of India, Russia, and South Korea, among others, were reported in 2005 as also being worried that Google Earth's satellite imagery might reveal too much about their military bases http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/government/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206902500 http://www.technewsworld.com/story/62017.html

8. Scenario 4: Children Safety • Parents should monitor Street View to see if their kids are being pictured so they can request their removal • Can sign a petition to encourage local leaders to ban Street View in your neighborhood until the technology is safeguarded so that children are not easily accessible to those who may want to misuse such technologies at www.stopinternetpredators.org (led by Stacie D. Rumenap, former deputy director of the American Conservative Union) • Statistically most predators know their targets • Child predation? More efficient to go to schools, parks, walk around neighborhoods, etc. http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/guest/2008/sdr_09222.shtml http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/24/scitech/pcanswer/main4476827.shtml?source=RSSattr=PCAnswer_4476827

9. Face Blurring the Solution? • In May 2008, face blurring technologies were being tested in Manhattan • Face recognition based on a computer algorithm • False positives that blur billboards or works of art with faces could degrade Street View a bit • Missing some faces that are visible could pose privacy problems http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9943140-7.html http://www.techshout.com/internet/2008/15/google-blurs-faces-in-street-view-images/

10. My Argument PREMISE 1. Google Earth Street View has raised privacy concerns for individuals walking down the street, parents and their children, home owners, national security, and countries in general. PREMISE 2. Google Earth Street View privacy concerns are apparent in the United States as well as around the world. PREMISE 3. Being able to get a picture of you off of Google Earth Street View after it has been posted does not fix the problem that it was posted in the first place, nor does it remove the consequences of the photo being posted. PREMISE 4. Google Earth Street View has the capabilities of using blurring technologies and has started using such technologies in Manhattan (NYC), Canada, etc. _________________________________________________________________________ CONCLUSION. Google Earth Street View is unethical from a privacy standpoint and should be removed from areas where blurring technologies were not originally available and should only be used when these technologies are in place, or when permission has been sought from home owners and/or bystanders included in photos.