I’ve never heard of anything like Google Street View before, and when I decided to check it out, I was completely amazed – and a little creeped out. It was almost like a gift from the technology gods: 360 degree, high-quality pictures of nearly every street, every building and every landmark in various places around the world. I could get a taste of what Times Square and Hollywood are like without needing to be there.
After marvelling at the precision and quality of the shots, I checked my home address and was pleasantly surprised that it existed; it hadn’t before on Google Maps. I was thrilled, until I took a closer look at the picture. Whoaaaa. Hold up, is that our car pulling out of the driveway?! In that moment, I felt so proud of my car – it was famous! :)
A bit later, I search the address of a relative and discovered my car holds fame not only in Scarborough, but also in Brampton. At the time, I was more creeped out than delighted. Was Google stalking me? Possibly. Even though I was a bit paranoid, I did know Google had no malicious intentions, and was only using these pictures to help them develop the new innovation that is Google Street View.
My experience with Google Street View has left me with a good impression of their new technology. Privacy laws are not being broken, because license plates and faces are blurred. I also believe complaints are unnecessary, since the pictures are, after all, being taken for a positive purpose. Some might argue that this technology could be used against somebody, instead of in a beneficial way as originally intended. While I agree that this technology is potentially dangerous, there is no way to prevent it. Therefore, I think a complaint against Street View is a complaint against any other of the countless, equally risky information sources.
After marvelling at the precision and quality of the shots, I checked my home address and was pleasantly surprised that it existed; it hadn’t before on Google Maps. I was thrilled, until I took a closer look at the picture. Whoaaaa. Hold up, is that our car pulling out of the driveway?! In that moment, I felt so proud of my car – it was famous! :)
A bit later, I search the address of a relative and discovered my car holds fame not only in Scarborough, but also in Brampton. At the time, I was more creeped out than delighted. Was Google stalking me? Possibly. Even though I was a bit paranoid, I did know Google had no malicious intentions, and was only using these pictures to help them develop the new innovation that is Google Street View.
My experience with Google Street View has left me with a good impression of their new technology. Privacy laws are not being broken, because license plates and faces are blurred. I also believe complaints are unnecessary, since the pictures are, after all, being taken for a positive purpose. Some might argue that this technology could be used against somebody, instead of in a beneficial way as originally intended. While I agree that this technology is potentially dangerous, there is no way to prevent it. Therefore, I think a complaint against Street View is a complaint against any other of the countless, equally risky information sources.
