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I disagree. Just because I leave my shades open doesn't give you the right to stand in the street and take pictures of my family through the window. After all

I disagree. Just because I leave my shades open doesn't give you the right to stand in the street and take pictures of my family through the window. After all, I'm allowing the broadcast images of myself through electromagnetic radiation (visible light.)

cynest 16y ago
The problem with this analogy is that Google had no intent of invading privacy. If you leave your shades open and someone starts taking pictures of the inside of your house, they are breaking your reasonable expectation of privacy. If someone happens to glance at and see the insides of your house for a split second, they are not necessarily invading your reasonable expectation of privacy.
- jtbigwoo 16y ago
  I agree with you on Google's intent, but intent is only half the issue here. They didn't just happen to get a peek. They deliberately searched for private information and recorded everything they saw. Perhaps I'm being naive or living in the past, but it seems reasonable to expect that I won't be spied on in my home even if I'm somewhat lax in my security protocols.
- macrael 16y ago
  But what about when that person is taking pictures of everyone's houses and posting those pictures online? They may not have been intending to invade your privacy, just show a picture of all the houses in the neighborhood. There is a difference between the the million of little pieces of private information we leak every day and the collection and preservation of that data. Google is doing the right thing here and is going to delete this data and make sure they don't collect it again, but I think you are wrong to dismiss the collection of private data as unserious.
bradleyland 16y ago
I'm not certain about this, but I'm pretty sure that in the US, you do have the right to take photos of people through the window, even when they're in their homes. Whatever is visible from the street (a public place) is fair game. Having said that, I know there were some recent cases where this was brought in to question. I just don't know what the outcome was. Also, different countries obviously have varying views on this topic.

cynest 16y ago

The problem with this analogy is that Google had no intent of invading privacy. If you leave your shades open and someone starts taking pictures of the inside of your house, they are breaking your reasonable expectation of privacy. If someone happens to glance at and see the insides of your house for a split second, they are not necessarily invading your reasonable expectation of privacy.

jtbigwoo 16y ago
I agree with you on Google's intent, but intent is only half the issue here. They didn't just happen to get a peek. They deliberately searched for private information and recorded everything they saw. Perhaps I'm being naive or living in the past, but it seems reasonable to expect that I won't be spied on in my home even if I'm somewhat lax in my security protocols.
macrael 16y ago
But what about when that person is taking pictures of everyone's houses and posting those pictures online? They may not have been intending to invade your privacy, just show a picture of all the houses in the neighborhood. There is a difference between the the million of little pieces of private information we leak every day and the collection and preservation of that data. Google is doing the right thing here and is going to delete this data and make sure they don't collect it again, but I think you are wrong to dismiss the collection of private data as unserious.

bradleyland 16y ago

I'm not certain about this, but I'm pretty sure that in the US, you do have the right to take photos of people through the window, even when they're in their homes. Whatever is visible from the street (a public place) is fair game. Having said that, I know there were some recent cases where this was brought in to question. I just don't know what the outcome was. Also, different countries obviously have varying views on this topic.