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Czech Temporarily Stopped Google for Street View

Posted on 21. Sep, 2010 by William Hushburn in Headlines, Technology

The Czech government refused to grant search engine Google the license to collect fresh pictures of their streets for their Street View technology. Their main reason is for Personal Data Protection. Old data can still be used though but negotiations between the two sides are still in progress.

Czech Republic is not the only country who has been complaining over privacy and data collection concerns against Google. Other countries include France, Germany, Australia and Spain. A Czech Agency spokesperson, Hana Stepankova said that they do not have complete certainty the information that has been collected is being processed according to law. Although they are not closing their doors for Google. The negotiations are still are on the process. The agency would actually grant Google permission to resume data collection, providing the process could be done legally.

BBC was able to get the side of Google regarding this issue and a spokesperson for Google told BBC News that they were disappointed by the move but would engage in “constructive dialogue” with the Czech authorities. The search giant strongly believed that Street View technology has been very helpful for consumers and businesses around the world. They are also pressing that they are blurring faces and number plates in cases that it would be caught in their cameras. They also made mention of the removal tool that has been provided in cases you something to be removed.

Google somehow admitted that for the past three years it had wrongly collected information that people have sent over unencrypted wi-fi networks while some of the lawsuits of other countries against them are still on going. it was only in UK that the company has been cleared so far.

Tags: Google, Street View