Google gets green light for Street View launch

by Tristan O'Carroll, Media Week 31-Jul-08, 15:00

LONDON - Google's planned Street View service - which will offer ground-level pictures of every UK street - has been given the all-clear to launch, after the Information Commissioner said it had no more concerns.

The Street View system takes pictures of streets and adds them to online Google maps to allow users to see what locations look like.

But the proposed launch has attracted opposition from UK civil liberties campaigners, concerned that the service infringes individuals' privacy.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said the safeguards Google was putting in place, such as blurring faces, were sufficient to allay concerns.

An ICO statement said: "We are satisfied that Google is putting in place adequate safeguards to avoid any risk to the privacy or safety of individuals, including the blurring of vehicle registration marks and the faces of anyone included in Street View images.

"Although it is possible that in certain limited circumstances an image may allow identification of an individual, it is clear that Google are keen to capture images of streets and not individuals."

Street View tool was launched in the US in May 2007 featuring a handful of major cities. Since then, it has been expanded overseas.