Google Street View Privacy / Security

[Mad Moose]

This thought, confirmed in news today, has always crossed my mind. Why do we have streetview and does it actually increase vulnerability for people?. I'm particularly thinking of home and how the availability of pictures of home might increase the liklihood of somebody's home been targetted for burglary. Its bizzarre seeing my homeplace in streetview. But has the basis for providing these pictures been more sinister? I know for example as a local authority we use streetview to look at properties. For example in my job if I have a complaint about a property in the city I can use streetview to get a particularly accurate look at the property, however old the picture is. We can also get an idea of the uses of those property to determine occupancy levels etc. Likewise we can establish planning and building control issues from the images alone which should be matched (approximately) to planning and building applications.

The question then really is. Is streetview a tool to keep greater watch on us by authorities?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64D60E20100516

[dahamsta]

Google isn't an "authority", so no, it isn't. Government != Business.

I have major concerns about the amount of data that Google carries, but this still strikes me as a very simple giant clusterf*ck within Google, some engineer with a "bright idea" that wasn't caught when it should have been.

[brendy_éire]

Why do we have streetview and does it actually increase vulnerability for people?. I'm particularly thinking of home and how the availability of pictures of home might increase the liklihood of somebody's home been targetted for burglary

I don't really get this argument. Google Street View only captures (wifi data side, :-)) images that are available to anyone walking down the street. To say it's an invasion of privacy is nonsense.

Personally, I absolutely love Street View. It makes finding your way to places, particularly abroad, far easier. For example, printing out Street View images of a route from a train station to a hotel.
It's a fantastic project, and more power to them.

[John83]

I'm particularly thinking of home and how the availability of pictures of home might increase the liklihood of somebody's home been targetted for burglary.

What vulnerability of a home is evident on a photo anyway?

Its bizzarre seeing my homeplace in streetview. But has the basis for providing these pictures been more sinister?

It's as sinister as this: google want to make money. That means making you click on ads. That means making you go to their website. That means having something useful on their website. Assuming government conspiracy is a little paranoid.

The question then really is. Is streetview a tool to keep greater watch on us by authorities?

Yeah, because they really need google for that crap.
http://cryptome.org/echelon-ie.htm

[dahamsta]

What vulnerability of a home is evident on a photo anyway?

To be fair, StreetView could be used to whittle down possible options much quicker than walking around, i.e. do a general "case" on StreetView to identify possibles and concentrate on these in the usual next step. However almost every new technology can be used for nefarious purposes. An MP3 player can be used as a dictaphone to takes notes on locations, a mobile phone can be used for communication betwen criminals. I could go on and on. We have to use technology, and deal with abuse via technology. It's how the world spins, has always spun. Think about fire for feck's sake.

[OneRedArmy]

It's how the world spins, has always spun.

.....unless you were educated in the Southern states of the US, in which case, God decided to make it spin one morning.

In the manner of a basketball on his finger presumably...

[dahamsta]

A joke about "dem boahs" in the Harlem Globetrotters would probably be a stretch too far. Oops, there I've gone and done it anyway...

[ArdeeBhoy]

The advantages outweigh the relatively limited disadvantages in my book.

And would agree with Dah about technology being exploited. But sh*t happens, as they say.

[Macy]

But has the basis for providing these pictures been more sinister? I know for example as a local authority we use streetview to look at properties.

I believe at least one local authority has been using google maps satellite images to spot unauthorised development since the end of the building boom. Planning maps on one screen, google maps on the other. Not sure that's anymore sinister than them going around the county doing it manually though (public sector efficiency saving!).

With regard to streetview, if the photo of our house is anything to go by, it's at least 2 years out of date anyway.