May 30, 2007
Google’s creepy new maps feature
For all its talk about not being evil, Google’s latest maps innovation is, well, a bit creepy. Similar to the now-defunct "block view" feature on Amazon’s A9 search engine, Google’s new "street view", makes it possible to zoom in for an up close view of addresses in Google Maps.
That is well and good for someone who was interested in locating something like the FT bureau in San Francisco, for example. But it veers into the Orwellian when it allows you to peek into the windows of unsuspecting private citizens such as this Boingboing reader, who was startled to see that Google’s street-level photographers had captured an image of her tabby cat perching in her living room window.
To be fair, Google says it will offer users a way to report inappropriate street view images. But its disarmingly geeky tutorial on the new service makes no mention of privacy concerns. Between intrusive street views and its recenly stated desire to manage its users’ personal lives, one gets the sense the Google is beginning to push the limits of its ‘don’t be evil’ strategy.
