Google Photos Stir a Debate Over Privacy

GOOGLE PHOTOS STIR A DEBATE OVER PRIVACY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Miguel Helft]
The Web has been buzzing about the privacy implications of Street View -- with varying degrees of seriousness. Several sites have been asking users to submit interesting images captured by the Google service, which offers panoramic views of miles of streets around San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Miami and Denver. Google said in a statement that it takes privacy seriously and considered the privacy implications of its service before it was introduced on Tuesday. “Street View only features imagery taken on public property,” the company said. “This imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street.” “The issue that I have ultimately is about where you draw the line between taking public photos and zooming in on people’s lives,” said one woman. “The next step might be seeing books on my shelf. If the government was doing this, people would be outraged.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/technology/01private.html?ref=business
(requires registration)