Google Street View

Google's Street View service taken to court

Google’s quest to map and photograph the entire world has been stopped in its tracks by a country not usually associated with confrontation. Google Street View Car, the search engine's Big Brother days are over in Switzerland. Switzerland's federal data protection and information commission is taking Google to court over its Street View mapping service.
Switzerland’s privacy watchdog is preparing to battle the internet giant over its Street View service, which shows panoramic street-level pictures of 100 cities globally, with people, cars and businesses clearly visible in many shots.
According to The Daily Mail the Swiss data protection commissioner, Hanspeter Thuer, has demanded that Google ensures all faces and car plates are blurred to protect people’s privacy, and that enclosed areas such as walled gardens and private roads are removed from the images. He also wants the California firm to declare at least one week in advance which Swiss towns and cities it plans to send its teams to, so residents are informed before they are unwittingly photographed and their pictures posted online.
Mr Thuer said he decided to take the case to Switzerland's federal administrative tribunal because Google had failed to comply with his request that it take “various measures to protect personal privacy in its Street View online service”.
The service has also proved controversial in Britain, Germany, Japan and elsewhere for allowing individuals to be identified without their knowledge or consent.
A spokesman for Google said: “We believe that Google Street View is absolutely legal, also in Switzerland.” He said the service was extremely popular in the country and that new software which can obscure details such as car plates would deal with Mr Thuer's concerns.

Question 1 (2 Points)
Indicate whether the following questions are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) Google’s goal is to have pictures of 100 cities.
b) Switzerland has already taken Google to court.
c) Mr Thuer had been in touch with Google before taken them to court.
d) Google thinks that the situation is easy to manage.

Question 2 (2 Points)
Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) What are the commissioner biggest demands?
b) How has Google reacted to this situation?

Question 3 (1.5 points)
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions below.
a) Guarantee: paragraph 3
b) Without knowing: paragraph 3
c) fulfil, obey: paragraph 4

Question 4 (1.5 points)
Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) A spokesman for Google said: “We believe that Google Street View is absolutely legal, also in Switzerland.”
A spokesman for Google said that……………………………………………….
b) The service has proved controversial for allowing individuals to be identified.
If the service hadn’t...…………………………………………………
c) Switzerland's federal data protection and information commission is taking Google to court.
Google………………………………………

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (120-150 words) about the following topic.
People’s privacy is unprotected nowadays.

Self-Access Group. CEP Santander