Posted on 10/26/2010 8:31:55 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Eric Schmidt: If you don't like Street View, move house
By Shane Richmond Internet Last updated: October 26th, 2010
What is Eric Schmidt going to say next? As I wrote this morning, Google’s CEO has developed a reputation for inflammatory statements about the search engine and privacy. The latest, made on an American talk show, was the suggestion that anyone who doesn’t like their house appearing in photographs on Google Street View “can just move”.
It was edited out of the final programme by CNN and Schmidt did follow his remark with a laugh so he was probably joking. Probably. It’s getting hard to tell.
Google’s PR team, who must be getting a little tired of explaining their CEO’s remarks by now, told MarketWatch: “The point Eric was making is that our Street View service provides only a static picture in time, and doesn’t provide real-time imagery or provide any information about where people are. Of course, we also allow users to request that their home be removed from Street View.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
He is the reason I never use Google
They should change their slogan from “Don’t Be Evil” to “Don’t Be an A-hole”
As a matter of fact I took his advice, and moved to Bing St.
Eric Schmidt is a big government enabling tool, but the anti street view people are a bunch of ninnies.
I love street view. It lets me view any PUBLIC street that has been photographed by google. Everything in street view is something I can go their and see myself.
I agree with him on this one. If you don’t want the public to see something. Don’t expose it to public view. That is why some homes have tall brick, block or wood fences.
And they DO blur out faces and license plates.
While Schmidt’s attitude seems bad, I really don’t have a problem with street view. The front of a person’s house is always public and could always be photographed. The fact that practically all homes are being photographed and the images appear on the net, might make some uncomfortable, but it is not really an “invasion of privacy”. If anything, the overhead shots are more intrusive, as anyone can now see what is behind your fence and hedges.
There are some real privacy concerns regarding Google, but I don’t think street view is one of them.
Telling = talking
This arrogance was the reason I sold Google. I hope social networking and their own search engines bury Google eventually.
Damn straight.
SnakeDoc
..plus Eric Schmidt is an advisor to Ozero, nuff said
Perhaps someone should start a contest to see who can dispose of a “Google car” in the most creative fashion. Anonymously, of course...
“Perhaps someone should start a contest to see who can dispose of a “Google car” in the most creative fashion. Anonymously, of course...”
The above article by Richmond links to a prior one called “How Google crossed the creepy line”; this first article mentions that an entire town, Broughton, in Buckinghamshire, “formed a human barrier to stop Google’s Street View car from entering their village.” This article highlights even more fully the continuing saga of Google’s arrogant presumption that it has the right to anything and everything that crosses,comes near, or even looks at the internet.
Wasn't there a story about a police raid caused by faulty interpretation of a Google Earth image? Something about suspected marijuana turning out to be tomato plants, IIRC.
Of course, the smarter pot farmers are now using fake tomatoes to disguise their crops...
Most municipalities now have restrictions on the type of privacy fence you can have in the front of your house (or any side of your property that faces the street). Most places simply won't allow you to build these privacy items anymore (for public safety, dontcha know).
Any one has the google pic of where HE lives?
Or where his kids go to school?
Or any number of the things that we all do and want to protect?
Does that mean that I can move where I want and send Google the bill.
As a matter of fact if you have an upcoming moving bill, sent it to google.
So I am not visible to public view. but their satalite makes me visible to people who would have not known otherwise that my house is where it is.
Yeah, that is one of the reasons I bought my farm in Kentucky. Here in Seattle someone will say something like “you have to get a permit to save your rain water” or “Looks like they’re gonna pass that monorail bill” or a whole litany of things I just shake my head at.
In every case I just say (to myself or out loud), “Yep. That’s why I’m moving to Kentucky.”
Yeah. With satellite pictures, everyone owns a small plane that they can fly at low altitude anywhere in the world.
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