Believe the hype people - it is now possible to view almost anywhere in the world, in real time, from anywhere that you can access your Internet. And its all thanks to Google Street View. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but after seeing news items about it, and wondering what exactly this means for me, I became slightly concerned.
My generation is one which is used to being watched. And I don't mean the 'God is watching you so be good' religion watching; I mean being watched on everything from CCTV cameras everywhere you go, to your e-mails being checked and your Internet provider coming down on you for downloading media online. We're so used to it that we encourage it through reality television, such as Big Brother and Wife Swap or anything which is not scripted and could involve your very own neighbours. And now we can meet our neighbours and watch our streets without ever having to leave the comfort of...anywhere really.
The first thing I asked when I heard of this is why? How could we all be so important to Google that it feels the need to spy on us? Maybe that's a bit harsh considering that Google Street View seems to be just a device which extends our maps and our world around us; thereby allowing a more thorough view of places we would like to experience without actually being there. Yeah, if you buy that then fine. The second thing I asked when I actually tried out Google Street View is how does this affect our civil liberties?
Civil Liberties are freedoms, rights and acts which we are entitled to as human beings; and also, which are meant to be both protected by the government as well as not to be encroached on by government. For instance, being entitled to public services regardless of ethnicity, gender, social class, education etc, is a civil liberty; and it is expected that government create, sustain and maintain this. If they encroach it by, say, limiting it for and to certain sections of society they are accountable and usually petitioned to reverse such unfairness.
Concerning Google Street View, I think that the civil liberty in question is privacy. Now the latter is debatable. I.e. what is privacy? where, when and how is it limited? does it include public domains and spaces? etc etc. But I think that the point still stands that one should be free to do simple things, such as walk around or have a coffee or meet up with friends, without being unknowingly watched and without their permission. Again, my first question arises here: why would Google, or anyone else feel it necessary to watch people getting on with their lives? It can turn into an act of criminalising and victimising people who are simply doing what they want to everyday.
If my point of view above about the ills of such a device are not clear or seem far fetched, consider this angle for a moment: What of those who use this device to harm others?
My generation is one which is used to being watched. And I don't mean the 'God is watching you so be good' religion watching; I mean being watched on everything from CCTV cameras everywhere you go, to your e-mails being checked and your Internet provider coming down on you for downloading media online. We're so used to it that we encourage it through reality television, such as Big Brother and Wife Swap or anything which is not scripted and could involve your very own neighbours. And now we can meet our neighbours and watch our streets without ever having to leave the comfort of...anywhere really.
The first thing I asked when I heard of this is why? How could we all be so important to Google that it feels the need to spy on us? Maybe that's a bit harsh considering that Google Street View seems to be just a device which extends our maps and our world around us; thereby allowing a more thorough view of places we would like to experience without actually being there. Yeah, if you buy that then fine. The second thing I asked when I actually tried out Google Street View is how does this affect our civil liberties?
Civil Liberties are freedoms, rights and acts which we are entitled to as human beings; and also, which are meant to be both protected by the government as well as not to be encroached on by government. For instance, being entitled to public services regardless of ethnicity, gender, social class, education etc, is a civil liberty; and it is expected that government create, sustain and maintain this. If they encroach it by, say, limiting it for and to certain sections of society they are accountable and usually petitioned to reverse such unfairness.
Concerning Google Street View, I think that the civil liberty in question is privacy. Now the latter is debatable. I.e. what is privacy? where, when and how is it limited? does it include public domains and spaces? etc etc. But I think that the point still stands that one should be free to do simple things, such as walk around or have a coffee or meet up with friends, without being unknowingly watched and without their permission. Again, my first question arises here: why would Google, or anyone else feel it necessary to watch people getting on with their lives? It can turn into an act of criminalising and victimising people who are simply doing what they want to everyday.
If my point of view above about the ills of such a device are not clear or seem far fetched, consider this angle for a moment: What of those who use this device to harm others?
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