They’re watching you!

Swiss government takes on Google

Have you ever had that hair-raising sense that hidden eyes are watching you? Well, it’s probably Google. And the Swiss government is not happy about it. On Friday, Switzerland’s privacy watchdog announced it would ask a national court to force Google to make significant changes to its Street View service, which permits users to view street-level pictures of cities on the Internet. “The height from which the camera on top of the Google vehicle films is … problematic,” says federal data protection commissioner Hanspeter Thuer. “It provides a view over fences, hedges and walls, with the result that people see more on Street View than can be seen by a normal passer-by in the street.” In a statement, Google said it was disappointed by the Swiss agency’s actions and intends to “vigorously contest” the suit. But Switzerland is not alone in its fight. Greek and Japanese officials have also raised objections to Google’s privacy standards.

CBC News

tags:society