Google Maps Makes Headlines With Street View
Google’s Street View, a feature of Google Maps that utilizes actual photos for clearer, more precise directions, has been the cause of much controversy with the recent filing of a lawsuit by a couple claiming that Google has violated their right of privacy. Court documents, which have been made public by The Smoking Gun, further explain the motives behind Google’s Street View and explain why the couple is taking Google to court.
The Pennsylvania couple, Aaron and Christine Boring (yes, Boring), claim that Google violated their privacy rights by driving up a “private road” in order to snap a picture. According to court documents, the couple is seeking damages for “‘mental suffering’ and diminished property value supposedly caused by the public accessibility of the photos.”
Google contends that the couple “lives in a residential community in the twenty-first-century United States, where every step upon private property is not deemed by law to be an actionable trespass.” Google also claims that “today’s satellite-image technology means that even in today’s desert, complete privacy does not exist.”
The angry couple is not alone in objecting to the Street View feature. A neighborhood in Minnesota called North Oaks demanded that Google remove all the photos off the web of their town, citing a violation of privacy. Because the roads in the town are considered private, North Oaks alleged that the Google photographers trespassed in order to get the shots. Google’s spokeswoman Elaine Filadelfo claimed that this was the first town to ask Google to remove their photos from Street View.
Really? A violation of privacy would be understandable if Google were to accidentally catch someone sunbathing in their backyard, or walking outside in their underwear to pick up their newspaper. But, let’s face it: taking pictures of roads for the purpose of providing travelers with the most precise information on directions as possible really isn’t an invasion of privacy.
Google has previously stated that unless there is a ‘No Trespassing’ sign or a fence restricting their cars from riding up on driveways to take pictures of the street, the pictures are legal. And Google claims that they have a right to take pictures on “private roads”, and that the Borings have brought more attention to themselves by their active participation in the highly publicized lawsuit.
It can be safe to say that the Borings and North Oaks won’t be the last of the complaints against Google’s Street Views. But, it’s highly unlikely that Google is Big Brother watching America- they are just trying to provide clear and simple maps for the directionally challenged.
On a related note, Google recently gave their Maps interface a minor facelift which included a reorganization of the Directions, MyMaps, Print, Link, and Send tabs. These tabs are now highlighted in blue and positioned at the top of the screen. Also, the Direction fields have been given a slightly cleaner and more attractive look. Google’s cosmetic changes are a likely effort to increase user friendliness and overall function of the Maps feature.
