Security Bullet In
Communiques from the security front, sir
Friday 15 May 2009, 5:28 PM
Google: People will get used to Street View
Google's privacy counsel Peter Fleischer has told ZDNet UK that people "will get used" to Street View.
Last month, villagers in the Buckinghamshire town of Broughton surrounded a Street View car and forced it to leave, the Times reported. The villagers were worried that their houses may be targeted, following a spate of burglaries in the area.
Fleischer told ZDNet UK at a data protection conference on Wednesday that people would come to accept the technology.
"It's a new service, people will get used to it over time, and understand the benefits and the risks," said Fleischer. "Fears are easy imagine on day one. The benefits of building on top of services only become clear later."
Fleischer said that people's fears of burglary being facilitated by Street View had been stoked by the media.
"If the media say this will help burglars then people will react to that," said Fleischer. "Privacy controls have been built into the product. We have a mismatch between the perception of the fears, and the benefits."
Last month, villagers in the Buckinghamshire town of Broughton surrounded a Street View car and forced it to leave, the Times reported. The villagers were worried that their houses may be targeted, following a spate of burglaries in the area.
Fleischer told ZDNet UK at a data protection conference on Wednesday that people would come to accept the technology.
"It's a new service, people will get used to it over time, and understand the benefits and the risks," said Fleischer. "Fears are easy imagine on day one. The benefits of building on top of services only become clear later."
Fleischer said that people's fears of burglary being facilitated by Street View had been stoked by the media.
"If the media say this will help burglars then people will react to that," said Fleischer. "Privacy controls have been built into the product. We have a mismatch between the perception of the fears, and the benefits."
PreviousComments on this post
People have gotten used to mosquito bites too but that doesn't mean they don't buy repellent.
Mr Fleischer sounds like he could use a intervention by his peers in gaining some sensitivity. Those are his customers he's talking about.
