What to do? It's Google's Street View.

Scott Elcomb psema4-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
Wed Sep 26 14:59:58 UTC 2007


On 6/1/07, Neil Watson <tlug-neil-8agRmHhQ+n2CxnSzwYWP7Q at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> When George Orwell created Bigbrother who could have predicted how
> different it would turn out.  Between Google, and the pervasive presence
> of camera phones and web cams the citizens are now firmly doing the watching.
> Disturbing?  Yes, but it far better than Orwell's prediction.

Cory Doctorow's come up with a rather relevant tale, Scroogled[1].
It's in this months' Radar Magazine under a Creative Commons
license[2].

It speaks to the Orwellian connection and prompted an interview with
the Wall Street Journal[3].

Interestingly, a Reuters news item[4] popped up on Google News
(naturally) today regarding Street View in Canada.  As referred to in
the article, the Canadian Privacy Minister has some issues[5] with
Street View.

Cities offering to pay Google for the "service" provides a bunch of
incentive for them to work around these issues though.  It all feels a
little spooky after reading Scroogled, but Doctorow provides some
sanity in the WSJ interview.

I have to wonder at what Ontario political parties think on topics
like this -- they never become a public issue during elections.

- Scott.


[1] http://tinyurl.com/yudbmh or
    http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/09/google_fiction_evil_dangerous_surveillance_control_1.php
[2] BY-NC-SA
[3] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119073238834038729.html?mod=hps_us_inside_today
[4] http://uk.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUKN2430696920070925
[5] http://www.privcom.gc.ca/media/let/let_070911_01_e.asp
-- 
  Scott Elcomb
  http://www.psema4.com/
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