CSC 379:Week 4, Group 6

Mapping / Google Street View

Many are concerned about the invasiveness of satellite/aerospace imaging. Governments have complained of risks related to the availability of images of sensitive military or strategic sites, sometimes requesting obfuscation or blackouts of the compromising images. With the expansion of mapping technologies to the street level (see links below), more people have become concerned about how invasive to their privacy public photography can be.

Amongst many lawful and beneficial uses, mapping technologies have also made it easier for planning crimes.

Explore the ethical implications of mapping technologies. Should mapping technologies comply with the laws of every country that has access their services even if they are not located there? Are requests for censorship of public photography ethical? When? As mapping imagery increases in coverage and resolution over time, should there be limits set or censorship mandated to protect the public from lawful but invasive and sometimes unwanted photography?

Google Street View

Overview

Google Street View is a tool integrated into Google Maps that allows users to view routes from a street-level perspective. This tool is only available for select locations, usually large cities such as Miami and San Francisco. When using Street View, you are given a 360 degree view of the street from the perspective of a car on the street. The view is generated from actual photographs taken of the streets. There is a zoom feature incorporated into the view and people and private property are not censored by Google.

Resources

Relevant External Links:

• Google Zooms In Too Close for Some (New York Times)
• Public Opinion on Google Street View (Boing Boing)