Google Street View given clear road by privacy watchdog
Google Street View has been cleared by the UK's Information Commission after complaints from privacy campaigners and people who hang around sex shops
The UK's Information Commissioner has given Google Street View the thumbs-up, refusing to act on a complaint from privacy campaigners that would "turn the digital clock back".
Privacy International were among a group of 74 others complaining to the Information Commissioner about the first-person mapping service, after Google's automatic blurring of faces and car registration plates missed some individuals.
David Evans, the Information Commission's senior data-protection practice manager, described the service as being a "relatively limited privacy intrusion". He gets top marks from Crave for advocating a "commonsense approach" to Street View, acknowledging that we live "in a world where many people tweet, Facebook and blog", and comparing the service to being filmed in the background of news reports or sports events.
Street View arrived in the UK last month, and has been dogged by controversy both chucklesome and cringe-worthy.