How did Google restart Google Street View after 10 years in Germany, where privacy is strict?


by

Sancho McCann

The European Union (EU) has implemented strict regulations and requirements aimed at protecting personal data, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Among the EU countries, Germany places particular emphasis on privacy, and the `` Street View '' feature on Google Maps has not been updated with images since 2011 due to protests and lawsuits regarding privacy. However, from July 2023, Google resumed updating Street View images in Germany. PetaPixel, an overseas media outlet, explains the reasons behind this.

Germany vs Google: How Street View Won the Privacy Battle in Europe's Most Private Country | PetaPixel
https://petapixel.com/2024/03/08/germany-vs-google-how-street-view-won-the-privacy-battle-in-europes-most-private-country/



Among the EU countries that are keen on privacy protection, Germany places particular emphasis on privacy. In a 2015

Harvard Business Review survey , a total of 1,000 people in the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Germany were asked, ``How much would you be willing to pay to keep various publicly available data private?'' ” he asked. The survey found that Germans are willing to pay relatively high amounts of money to protect data such as government-issued IDs, credit card information, digital communication history, web browsing history, and health history. It became clear that there was no. Some German respondents also said that they would be willing to pay $184 (about 27,000 yen) to hide their medical history.



According to PetaPixel, the rise of

Adolf Hitler in World War II was a factor that influenced Germans' view of privacy. In Germany under Hitler, not only was the publication of newspapers banned, but freedom of opinion and expression, the right to organize and assemble, and the right to privacy in postal, telegraph, and telephone communications were also suspended.

In May 1945, at the end of World War II, Germany surrendered. Under the Allied occupation system, Germany was divided into two parts: West Germany , which was ruled by Western countries, and East Germany, which was ruled by the Soviet Union. Berlin was separated by barbed wire and concrete, known as the `` Berlin Wall .'' wall was constructed. In East Germany, which was under Soviet occupation, thorough surveillance by the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) and severe suppression of people's lives were carried out.

However, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the history of division between East and West came to an end. In 1990, East and West Germany were unified, creating the Federal Republic of Germany, which continues to this day. Still, the idea that ``privacy is lost due to surveillance'', which has been instilled in Germans for decades, remains strong, and as a result, it is said that the attitude of emphasis on privacy among Germans today has taken root.



Google Street View, which was introduced in 2007, has expanded its service around the world in just a few years, but in some countries, including Germany, ``Street View shooting vehicles may collect personal information via Wi-Fi.'' There have been many lawsuits over Google Street View, as it has

been pointed out that it has problems from the perspective of protecting personal information.

In 2011, then-German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner argued that ``private things must remain private,'' and ``only if Google resolves all privacy concerns.'' We approve the resumption of Street View service.' Mr. Aigner further criticized that ``Google Street View is a million times more intrusive than the private domain'' and ``No intelligence agency in the world would collect personal data so shamelessly.'' In addition, the German government required Google to ``obtain consent from all persons photographed with Street View cameras.''

Google voluntarily stopped updating its Street View photos in Germany in 2011 after a series of protests and opposition to the service from European regulators. On the other hand, Lena Wagner, a spokeswoman for Google's German office, said, ``We place great importance on privacy protection, so we are developing features such as automatic blurring of faces and license plates in Street View. It's no different from the one shot of someone walking down the street.'



However, after repeated discussions with the German data protection authority, Google has resumed filming with Street View vehicles from June 22, 2023. At that time, Google reported, ``Not only will pedestrians and car license plates be automatically blurred, but users can also request blurring for houses, apartments, etc. if necessary.''

Since July 2023, Google has been releasing new street views of streets and tourist spots in 20 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.

Google Street View updates photos of Germany for the first time in about 10 years - GIGAZINE



PetaPixel explains why Street View restarted after about 10 years, saying, ``As time goes by, fewer people have experienced surveillance by Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, and they have no direct experience with surveillance, and Street View's privacy This is due to the emergence of a younger generation who say convenience trumps infringement.'

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