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8:30am Saturday 1st November 2008 in
CONTROVERSIAL internet “spy cars” have been spotted in York, prompting an outcry from privacy campaigners.
Amateur snappers have captured the cars driving around the city, complete with roof-mounted cameras. They are part of a high-tech online mapping project by internet giant Google, but city leaders say the firm may have breached York’s city centre traffic rules. Council officials will now write to Google demanding answers.
Google is seeking to photograph streets, parks and buildings around the world for its Street View eye-level photo-mapping system. It has already surveyed cities across the United States and is now moving across Europe.
In recent weeks, car’s matching the description of Google’s have been reported in various parts of York, and pictures posted on the photo-sharing website flickr. Site user Carl Spencer captured an image of a car turning into Manthorpe Walk, Acomb, on September 8 and two days later, fellow user James Gunn snapped one driving down Micklegate in the city centre. Another user spotted the car in Dringhouses.
Privacy International director Simon Davies said people going about their everyday life were being made part of a worldwide commercial project without consent.
He said: “It would have been nice and appropriate and perfectly legal for Google to go to the residents of York and ask their opinion on this, if for no other reason than to build trust.”
Google has said it will use face-blurring technology to protect individuals’ privacy, but Mr Davies said he had asked for details of the technology and got no reply. He accused Google of “arrogance” for thinking it could “go anywhere in the world and do anything it wants with no authority whatsoever”.
A City of York Council spokeswoman said: “As a rule of thumb, and out of general professional courtesy, we would normally expect organisations to contact us to seek permission to film in the city.
“They would also need special permission, and a permit, to use a vehicle for filming in the pedestrianised heart of the city. However, we are not aware of Google making any such requests.”
She said the council’s city centre manager Paul Barrett planned to contact Google, asking what they were doing, where, when and why. The council will then decide whether it needed to take further action.
Google spokeswoman Laura Scott said the firm did not yet know when the photos of York would be put on its website. She said: “We are at the driving stage in Europe. Once we have all those European photos we will patch them together.”
The Information Commissioner has declared it is satisfied with Google’s activities, and says adequate privacy safeguards are in place to prevent individuals being linked to a certain place at a certain time. People can request they be removed from photographs in which they appear.
Ms Scott said Street View was a “fantastic” way for people to view Britain’s culture and architecture, particularly during the economic downturn.
Comments(26)
NoNewsIsGoodNews
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8:46am Sat 1 Nov 08
pedalling paul
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8:51am Sat 1 Nov 08
A user
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9:16am Sat 1 Nov 08
redr
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9:31am Sat 1 Nov 08
Mister Sheen
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10:31am Sat 1 Nov 08
BigJon
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11:38am Sat 1 Nov 08
BigJon
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11:51am Sat 1 Nov 08
bob the builder
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11:51am Sat 1 Nov 08
Farrow
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12:08pm Sat 1 Nov 08
BigJon
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12:34pm Sat 1 Nov 08
xmob
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1:55pm Sat 1 Nov 08
Cozyuk
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2:59pm Sat 1 Nov 08
old_geezer
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3:00pm Sat 1 Nov 08
ouseswimmer
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3:36pm Sat 1 Nov 08
bjb
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5:30pm Sat 1 Nov 08
MarkyMarkMark
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6:27pm Sat 1 Nov 08
York1900
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9:19pm Sat 1 Nov 08
Hmm?
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11:12am Sun 2 Nov 08
BigJon
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12:56pm Sun 2 Nov 08
sprite
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11:27am Mon 3 Nov 08
Alan Shaw
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12:22pm Mon 3 Nov 08
A user wrote:This is a grave intrusion of privacy and disrespectful of Google not to consider asking permission. Unformtunealty I am having difficulty establishing what you mean by your final paragraph. Please can you explain?
Whingers. This car has also been in the Selby area and nobody whinged then. I think there is another reason we've been seeing this around though. I reckon CW is using this technology to find his new striker....
ThisIsOli
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2:07pm Mon 3 Nov 08
Mapper99
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2:19pm Mon 3 Nov 08
meme
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4:35pm Mon 3 Nov 08
BigJon
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5:34pm Mon 3 Nov 08
Mapper99 wrote:Had a quick look at this site - as far as I can see most of the shots containing people do have blurred faces. Most of the photos just seem to posted of people caught doing 'amusing' things
Take a look at some of these French and Italian privacy invasions: http://streetviewgal lery.corank.com The camera used in the UK is the same as in the rest of Europe.
Sawday2
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5:50pm Mon 3 Nov 08
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