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Switzerland Shows Google Street View a Stop Sign

By the Associated Press

Posted Aug 24, 2009 11:55 AM CDT

(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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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
JonmarkP
Aug 25, 2009 12:09 PM CDT
The biggest Big Brother name name is Cheney, but I didn't see any of you little cowards whining about it. In fact, you were all for Big Brother government then, just couldn't wait for them to ram it further up your ass. What craven, boot-licking maggots you Right-wingers are.
2-bits
Aug 24, 2009 8:45 AM CDT
Compared to the ability to track your surfing habits even when you leave google, the threat of you somehow ending up in random picture somewhere seems rather small. I guess people just don't like being photographed?
DontLikeYou___
Aug 24, 2009 8:00 AM CDT
Big brother is upon us.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

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