Internet search services provider Google, Inc., US, plans to launch its Street View mapping service for 20 German cities by 2010-end, media reports have quoted the company as saying. German officials have reportedly flayed Street View, which offers detailed pictures of neighborhoods captured by Google cameras. Due to their insistence, the company will blur the faces of individuals and licence plates. Also, people may opt to have images of their homes removed from the database.
The cities will include Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Cologne.
The announcement, seen to have come on short notice in the middle of the summer vacation, has drawn the attention of privacy watchdogs. They point to the fact that residents can only ask for their house to be removed for a four-week period. Also, the fact that Google has refused to set up a hot line to answer questions has raised concerns. The privacy groups have urged Google be more transparent on how it will handle the data of those who wish to opt out of the mapping programme.
German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner has reportedly said Google must accept faxes and written letters from those without Internet access. According to him, thousands have already downloaded a standard objection letter available on the ministry's website.
Google claims to be doing more than what is legally required to protect privacy. The company's Street View has led to controversies in various countries such as Germany and South Korea. There is fear that people may be filmed without their consent at places where they did not wish to be seen.
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