EU Demands Google Delete Street View Images After 6 Months
EU Demands Google Delete Street View Images After 6 Months
Posted 02/26/2010 at 1:10pm
| by Bart Salisbury
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Google’s Street View isn’t winning many converts in Europe. The European Union (EU), in an aggressive move to protect the privacy of its citizens, has just told Google that it can’t keep it’s unaltered Street View images any longer than six months. Google, unsurprisingly, is not happy with the news.
According to EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, “In Europe, we have high standards for data protection. I expect that all companies play according to the rules of the game.” And the EU didn’t stop there: “Google needs to raise much more awareness of Street View cars going though people's streets as there is an option to opt out of appearing in them but no one knows about it.”
Google’s response came from corporate lawyer Peter Fleischer, who said, “The need to retain the unblurred images is legitimate and justified--to ensure the quality and accuracy of our maps, to improve our ability to rectify mistakes in blurring, as well as to use the data we have collected to build better maps products for our users.” And it probably doesn’t help that a six-month retention limit might double Google’s Street View costs.
While it appears that Google will comply with the EU’s dictate, it has no such plans for amending its present 12-month policy elsewhere. Says Fleischer: “We have publicly committed to a retention period of 12 months from the date on which images are published on Street View, and this is the period which we will continue to meet globally.”
Image Credit: Google
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BizSAR
March 03, 2010 at 12:25pm
I'm not bashing Euro, but why would they complain about this? Don't many countries there have police cameras on almost every other block? Aren't some of them available for public viewing?
dullthud
March 01, 2010 at 6:51am
Why do people think they have a right to privacy when they are in a public place. Once you step outside your house everything you do is potentially being observed by someone, your neighbours if no one else. So by the EU's logic, any pictures I might take on one of their streets must be thrown out after 6 months?! What kind of idiots do they have running the show there? As much as people seem to hate corporations like Google, they have rights too.
rook
February 27, 2010 at 6:06am
Previous commenters are idiots.
****************And you will get a timeout every time you call people names. Enjoy your break.
-QuakindudeMod************************
Caboose
February 27, 2010 at 5:13pm
Uh huh...
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
gendoikari1
February 27, 2010 at 2:46pm
For what reason? Saying that the EU whining its 27 heads off when it comes to anything involving the Internet and related things is dumb?
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urdead4g
February 27, 2010 at 7:45am
Agreed. I totally agree with a lot of the things the EU says. They really are working closer for the European Dream which i support. No more big US companies getting away with so much bullsh!t
snapple00
February 28, 2010 at 5:01pm
Just because Europe is so far behind America doesn't mean you have to cry about it.
gendoikari1
February 26, 2010 at 5:46pm
This, the Telecoms Package and the browser ballot count as evidence as how NOT act in this day and age.
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Vegan
February 26, 2010 at 5:25pm
Britain's just upset that they no longer have the monopoly on surveillance.
M-ManLA
February 26, 2010 at 2:37pm
One thing I am wondering is why the government is crying while everyone else isn't. Lets take our Windows and Google out of there and see if they can do better.
Electronically charged
JohnP
February 26, 2010 at 4:13pm
EU= Envious of US.
Don't like US owning GPS? Let's spend 3 1/2 Billion Euros to put a "European" one in place. Meantime, I bet there are a lot of continental drivers using our free GPS services. Wait! <EU leaders putting heads together> "Let's BILL the US for using our space space to deliver the free GPS signals!"
Google, pull street view out of Europe. are you getting enough revenue from it to justify the cost? Tell them that if they want street view, each of the countries will have to pay for it. No more freebies.
Europe is just a US wannabe who cannot put two countries the size of Connecticut together and have them not go broke.
Danthrax66
February 26, 2010 at 2:16pm
I can't wait for U.S. Companies to stop offering their service in europe all together. I honestly think it wouldn't hurt google that much but the eu would have millions of protestors to deal with especially once google suspends gmail use. I really hope this happens microsoft should stop shipping windows there too and see how they like it, then they should stop releasing updates. I think the eu wants to bring europe back to the dark ages with the dumb s*** they've been pulling lately to piss off major US companies
Caboose
February 26, 2010 at 2:08pm
I think the EU needs some more cheese to go with their whine!
They seem to be whining about EVERYTHING as of late...
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
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