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Group demands shutdown of Google Street View Japan

A group of academics and journalists is demanding that Google take down its Street View service for Japan, claiming that images taken on public streets are an invasion of privacy:

The Campaign Against a Surveillance Society, led by Sophia University law professor Yasuhiko Tajima, sent a written demand on Friday to the search giant to take down the service for Japanese cities and delete all saved images.

“The widespread circulation of large amounts of private data in perpetuity constitutes a serious violation of human rights,” said Tajima.

Google, which has made signficant efforts to blur out faces and remove images of people in compromising situations, has the following statement on its website:

Street View only features photographs taken on public property and the imagery is no different from what a person can readily see or capture walking down the street. Imagery of this kind is available in a wide variety of formats for cities all around the world. We are committed to respecting local laws and norms in each country in which we launch Street View.

Blurring technology and operational controls like image removal are among the ways in which we ensure that an individual’s privacy is respected. We make it easy for users to ask to have photographs of themselves, their children, their cars or their houses completely removed from the product, even where the images have already been blurred.

{democracy:336}

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32 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - December 22, 2008 at 3:34 am

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http://www.japannewbie.com Harvey

Dashing into a love hotel! Caught on film. How embarrassing.

http://www.zdwonline.de Haf

There are quite a view interesting Google Street View shots around the world.
I think the example shot featured here has already been removed from the service. And that’s the point: If you’ve been photographed and don’t want to be seen in that shot, just contact Google and they will remove the picture from the database, there’s even a special button for that in the UI.

All that privacy fuss annoys me a lot because it’s mostly the people who supply there personal data virtually everywhere that oppose this.

For me the service has already been helpful a few times for orientation and I don’t quite get why we don’t see all the businesses having a GSV link on their website.

I’m looking forward to when the german street data is being integrated in the service, Google cars where already being spotted in various towns here in Germany in the summer.

stereo

But the picture is left somewhere in the internet for everyone to laugh at, just like this.

Removing the picture from Googlemap does not mean removing it from the internet.

http://www.cunning-linguist.co.uk Victoria

I think anyone who’s ever had any experience of stalking or domestic abuse would recognise the troubling potential of Google Street View. Is it really so difficult for someone to find where they’re going, using Google Maps + directions + GPS, without putting the security of their fellow citizens at risk? Is it worth it.

Personally, I think Street View is a gimmick – and that isn’t worth the risks it poses.

DaKappa

It was my impression all this time, that stalkers or those who experience domestic abuse come from those that are around that person. I believe that all they have to do is follow the victim home rather than rely on a machine to do their dirty work. Unless this is a matter of the victim moving to another location, then I see some merit in your statement. GSV is not that prevalent in the US version (as US is vast as a whole). Only major metropolitan areas have GSV (and typically major veins of traffic). They hardly have GSV of rural or suburban locations (pics of houses, etc). So it would be quite difficult to use this tool to track victims homes (at least in the US).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Charles_Nguyen Charles Nguyen

Also just seeing someone ≠ stalking
koan

Humans are creatures of habit. A stalker does not need Google to know that you go to the supermarket every Thursday and you enjoy going to that cafe on Saturday morning.

The number of people caught on Street View doing something they would rather not be seen is a tiny, tiny number. Even if you are seen, as long as you are discrete then it will be difficult to see that you are doing something private. If you are not being discrete then you shouldn’t mind being photographed.

Maybe the question should be “Why don’t love hotels have more discrete entrances ?” Clearly, in the photo you can see a huge red sign.

If the images were constantly updated then that would be an invasion of privacy but we’re talking about a static image taken once every few months? years?

I think Street View is extremely useful in a country like Japan. There is no threat to security.

http://www.tofugu.com Koichi

But this is what makes google streetview so entertaining!

Always someone out there to try and ruin the fun… good thing this group probably doesn’t stand a chance, and just wants attention.
http://www.feitclub.com feitclub

This is an extremely useful service ESPECIALLY in Japan where addresses mean almost nothing when you’re walking on the streets. Using Street View I can clearly look up an address online and look at the surrounding landmarks.
http://www.hormel.com VonSkippy

People with their panties in a knot over the “privacy issue” delude themselves that if Google doesn’t have that info, then it must be IMPOSSIBLE for a person to find it.

Didn’t you read the book? After 1984 there IS NO REAL PRIVACY.
Rudey

Google Streetview’s been a big help in my finding good visible landmarks, but I understand the level of alarm regarding individual privacy.

As mentioned above, stalking is a definite concern. Restraining orders cover physical proximity, but what about virtual proximity?
DaKappa

Google never meant their GSV to be a form of “spying” on innocent people as they walk into love hotels. I believe that is a uniquely Japan thing (as there are no love hotels in the US that I know of). I beleive the purpose and intent of the GSV is used as a tool much like the GPS to aid in locating a point that the layman would not normally understand where it is. Simple solution is for Google to cut out the people (not just blur out). Problem solved.
K

Just wish someone could do one that doesn’t use flash…
We already have this service here in Sweden too, albeit from hitta.se instead of Google.
http://www.hitta.se/Gatubild/
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

…claiming that images taken on public streets are an invasion of privacy

Aren’t those ideas at odds with each other? How is a photo taken on a public street an invasion of privacy?

If you don’t want people to see you walking into a love hotel, don’t walk into a love hotel. It’s the easiest solution.

stereo

“How is a photo taken on a public street an invasion of privacy?”
So, you do not think it an invasion of privacy if someone makes a robot that follows you everywhere you go, video tapes you and distributes the video to the world through the internet, as long as the recording is limited to public road.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

No, because that’s malicious stalking. The Google car doesn’t stalk individuals. If I get in the way of a news camera shooting on location, I’m not going to sue them for “invading my privacy”.

http://inanetalk.com/smf/ NPC

Guys I think we need to shut down flickr because it contains too many photos of public places, we’re having our privacy invaded! If fact, we also need to shut down every other image hosting service on the web, along with restricting what images the news papers and mainstream media can publish!

Can you detect my sarcasm? Hopefully.
Philip

I think anyone smart enough to stake out houses to rob using GSV isn’t dumb enough to rob houses.

There are LIVE cameras all over Tokyo with live streams on the web. http://www.nabit-ch.jp/street/live/aoyama/index-win.html

I think that’s much worse.
Pingback: Group demands shutdown of Google Street View Japan | Japan Probe | Hotel Confirm
http://www.japaneconomynews.com/ Ken

Again, I find it hard to take these protests seriously when there are domestic firms (such as Loca View) offering the same service. Why aren’t they being protested?

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

They aren’t foreign spies?

RMilner

How much of the Japanese sentiment against Street View is a “not invented here” syndrome?

As expressed above, there are many places in Japan and other cities around the world, where continuous CCTV surveillance is in operation. Also, it is easy to find out data about peoples’ addresses and locations by all kinds of other means.

Street View is only a problem if you happen to be in the picture taken when the Street View data gathering car went by, which is very unlikely. The couple above, are only in trouble if one of them is married to someone else and they are recognised.

stereo

I do not think the syndrome has anything to do with the criticism here.

I think the point is that people here cannot find any good use of the street view service whereas they have to endure the invasion of privacy for that good for nothing service.

People do not complain about surveillance cameras because they contribute to crime prevention. People do not complain about Jutakuchizu (street maps), for the map guide you to the place you are going to. Street view does not guide you to anywhere.

Can you find any good use of the service?

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Yes. I checked out some neighborhoods listed on 不動産 sites and navigated to them through Street View without having to waste my time driving there. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
RMilner

Yes, it’s good for finding your way to places or for showing people where somewhere is.

My brother-in-law, who is Japanese, says the same.

_kovert

Street view is amazingly useful for me since I cannot read Japanese it’s much easier for me to just see where I need to go ahead of time. If I could read Japanese I guess it would be pretty simple to just use a normal map or GPS.

Saying that this is an invasion of privacy or is harmful to people is a load of crap. I have published hundreds of photos on the internet with random people in the background and this is no different. It’s just a photo taken one time in a public place. And if you are worried about getting caught going to a love hotel then maybe you just shouldn’t go.

Every time this issue comes it really cracks me up. I just hope the loud voices who are angry over this are not representing the majority of Japanese.
Bob

They tell everyone they live in a palace, but now everyone can see the neighbourhood they really live in!

Also, selling houses or letting appartments becomes more difficult if you live in a rundown area, or the property backs onto a Pachinko parlour or a school – or any number of negative attributes. With Google-Maps, the buyer / renter can see the area without even going there, register their disapproval and dismiss the property.

Google Maps is going to piss off Real Estate and Letting agencies, not to mention the owners of the properties. This might even extend to pissing off shopkeeper, just because there are negative features in their vicinity which can be viewed through Google-Maps. It means that with the ongoing availability of Google Maps gradually the area will become more and more run-down, because no one wants to move there.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

What logic!

If they want people to move there, then they should clean the area up. A company doesn’t improve on a product only after people start buying it – They’ve got to make a product that sells off the bat. How is real estate any different? If you want people to move to your neighborhood, make it look presentable.
Bob

True! However, the bugbear is: it costs money to clean up a neighbourhood. The bill is footed by the residents. Without Google Maps, people have no idea of the area they’re moving to until everything is signed and sealed – and then it’s too late.
With Google Maps, buyers / renters can see the area beforehand, so money has to be spent to make the neighbourhood presentable.

With the introduction of Google Maps, the product (houses) is not as marketable as it once was. Now the product has to be improved and it’s going to cost some rundown areas a truckload of cash.

I feel that this crusade against Google Maps is small business / home owner led – real reason: To hide rundown areas and maintain houseprices and rent levels.

The Overthinker

“Without Google Maps, people have no idea of the area they’re moving to until everything is signed and sealed – and then it’s too late.”

Are you really in the habit of signing property contracts sight unseen? In that case, can I interest you in some waterfront property in New Orleans?

Scholar01

Technology can be your best friend or worst enemy.
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Group demands shutdown of Google Street View Japan

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