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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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7

Switzerland Shows Google Street View a Stop Sign

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(AP) – A Swiss government official is demanding that Google immediately remove any image of Switzerland from its "Street View Maps," and the company said today it would discuss the matter with the privacy rights regulator. Switzerland's federal data protection commissioner says Google's pictures violate the country's strict privacy laws by failing to obscure people's identities.

"Numerous faces and license numbers weren't blurred or were done so inadequately," Hanspeter Thuer said in a statement, adding that he "demands that Google Inc. immediately take its Google Street View online service off the Internet" until it can ensure that public images respect Swiss law. Thuer said he would meet with Google this week.

An undated file photo made available by Google Friday April 3, 2009 shows one of their street mapping cars.
An undated file photo made available by Google Friday April 3, 2009 shows one of their street mapping cars.   (AP Photo/Google, file)
In this April 17, 2007 file photo, exhibitors work on laptop computers in front of an illuminated sign of the Google logo at the industrial fair Hannover Messe in Hanover, Germany.
In this April 17, 2007 file photo, exhibitors work on laptop computers in front of an illuminated sign of the Google logo at the industrial fair Hannover Messe in Hanover, Germany.   (AP Photo/Jens Meyer, file)
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7 comments
VIEWING:
 
2-bits
Aug 24, 09 12:02 PM CDT
Oh please. Where were they when Google acquired DoubleClick? Reply
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
2-bits
Aug 24, 09 12:18 PM CDT
Really? People think Google street view is a big privacy threat compared to that?
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0
knightkrm
Aug 24, 09 12:06 PM CDT
Well, at least they have done that. There are still some countries that do not allow Google maps to work. Reply
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+3
Observer
Aug 24, 09 1:52 PM CDT
Google's street view is invasive. I can see why people are troubled by it. Does there reallly need to be a repository of street views? I cannot see why. If I were in one of their frames I'd sue too. Certainly Google has better things to do than document thousands of streets. Reply
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DontLikeYou
Aug 24, 09 3:00 PM CDT
Big brother is upon us. Reply
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-3

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