Another Day, Another Personal Data Security Concern

It appears as though Google Street View cars were collecting more than photos and geographic data as they cruised down your street. When German authorities asked Google to divulge the data it had collected, Google revealed that it's cars had "been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open networks". This means that if you were surfing on an open/unsecured wireless network as the Street View car drove past, you may have been providing Google with parts of an email, text, photographs or the website you were viewing. Google claims that the problem dates back to 2006 when "an engineer working on an experimental wi-fi project wrote a piece of code that sampled all categories of publicly broadcast wi-fi data". 

Guess they thought that they'd just leave it in there until somebody noticed! Sorry Google but I find it a little hard to believe that this went totally unnoticed. 

Source: BBC News

Google Street View Demystified

Ever wonder how that wonderful Street View technology worked? Here is the secret compliments of Google Japan...enjoy!



Note: Found via Gizmodo

Blazing The Trails - Olympic Sites Brought To You Via Street View

I was excited enough today to find that Charlottetown, my home city, had been released on Street View. I knew it was coming as I had viewed their vehicle on several occasions this summer. Then a friend and blog reader sent me a link about Google using snowmobiles and Street View cameras to capture the ski hills and other mountain vistas being used for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics! What a perfect story in keeping with the sports theme that has taken over the blog this week. It was one of those "of course" moments that I had when I saw the video below, why not strap the camera gear to a snowmobile or quad bike and take off down country trails or off into the back country? I'm sure many of you, as do I, would love to stroll down a country trail or scout out a ski hill prior to that March Break trip! Way to go Google! Thanks for the post idea Chris!

 

Google Street View Goes Live In Canada

It appears as though Google has appeased the Canadian Privacy czar and this week made Street View available with maps of much of the Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver and the surrounding area, north to Whistler and east to Chilliwack, B.C., Hamilton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Ottawa and Windsor in Ontario, as well as Calgary, Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta, Montreal and Quebec City in Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to the CBC "Google has tried to address the privacy concerns of Street View brought up by Canada's privacy commissioner. The company has added privacy features to the service, including the automatic blurring of faces and licence plates to avoid identifying people and cars and an easy method for asking that images be removed."

Word from the company is that its cars have been filming in Saint John, N.B., Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, no mention of Charlottetown but we've seen the cars around!

Street View Team Hitting The Road In Canada

Over the next few weeks Google employees will be cruising the streets of 11 of Canada's largest cities, including Halifax, Montreal, Winnipeg and Calgary, capturing data for their popular Street View searches. This is not the first round of data capture in Canada, Street View teams had previously collected some Canadian street data, which it plans to make public soon. There's no word on when the data from this round will be publicly released however. Google makes it a practice to blank out faces and license plates, but you might want to be on your best behaviour for the next few weeks lest you be caught doing something you'd rather not have etched in time. "Many a Web page is now dedicated to finding gems such as accidentally documented street fights, crimes in progress and, of course, people walking in or out of adult stores."

Source: Globe and Mail

Google Street View Privacy Suit Thrown Out

A law suit by a Pittsburgh couple against Google for invasion of privacy over images of their home that appeared on Google Streetview has been thrown out by the court. Aaron and Christine Boring sued Google last April alleged that "significantly disregarded (their) privacy interests" by taking photos of their home from a road that was clearly marked as private. They claimed that the images caused them "mental suffering" and devalued their home. The U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania ruled however that the Borings "failed to state a claim under any count."

Source: Cnet

Google Offers Street View Tour of Tour de France

If you've ever wished to be on the sidelines watching the cyclists speed past, but just can't find the time nor the money to be in France during the big race, you might enjoy Google Street View's Tour de France offering. View the tour legs, stage by stage, at google.com/tourdefrance2008. Here is where Street View really shines, allowing visitors from around the globe to experience the sights that the riders see, while following their precise path with photographic accuracy.