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Google Reshoots Japan for street view

There has been a lot of debate about whether or not Google Maps Street View is an invasion of privacy or not. The service takes its world maps service to the next level by showing a view so close that you can see people on the street.

Well, this week in Japan the world map service is being reshot in Japan. According to an article from Reuters:

Google said in a statement it would lower the cameras  after complaints they were capturing images over fences in private homes.

But it said it would continue filming in Japan, where it already has 12 cities done.

Google has also blurred out license plates in photos like it has already done for its street view maps of Europe. This however still did not satisfy Japanese authorities.

Google continues to be criticized for its maps and Google Earth applications. There has been uproar over using the service and photographing military bases.

Google has not backed down from providing its services. In Britain there have been instances brought up:

Britain’s privacy watchdog has rejected  to shut Street View down there, where concerns have ranged from images such as someone throwing up outside a bar to  reports that a woman filed for divorce after her husband’s car was pictured outside another woman’s house.

So it’s best to take these Google maps and Google Earth with a grain of salt, who knew that making interactive world maps could become such an issue. It seems that if a person wants to find trouble it is rather easy with Google Earth and especially Google Street View. The debate will continue, but this instance in Japan has shown Google backing down a bit for the first time when it comes to these services.

Related posts:

1. Google Introduces Skymap

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