Comments on: Google Earth Anxiety http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/ Chaos, Made to Order -- The Home of Avi Bar-Ze'ev Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:09:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Spatial Law: Spatial Data And National Security - Time For A Dialogue http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62261 Spatial Law: Spatial Data And National Security - Time For A Dialogue Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:12:23 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62261 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] and an open society with respect to Google Earth in particular, and spatial data in general. http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/. It is dialogue between Assemblyman Michael Gianaris' concerns about Google Earth and Avi [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> [...] and an open society with respect to Google Earth in particular, and spatial data in general. http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/. It is dialogue between Assemblyman Michael Gianaris’ concerns about Google Earth and Avi [...]

]]> By: avi http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62103 avi Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:12:51 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62103 Ira, on Street View, the issue is one of commercialization. If I, as an amateur photographer, take a picture of you walking on the street, I don't need your permission. If I commercialize that picture, I do, because I am using your likeness for profit. This is why movies shooting on the street get you to sign releases, and why TV shows that don't (except news) will tend to blur faces of people from whom they didn't get releases. News is considered a public service. But if the local news started stalking and commercializing non-public individuals without their permission, you'd see some contention there too. Does Google Street Maps fall into the "news" category? I don't think so, though it is a public service. Does it need permission, or release forms from everyone it captures? No. But should it blur faces automatically in that case, or otherwise remove people? Yes. Ira, on Street View, the issue is one of commercialization. If I, as an amateur photographer, take a picture of you walking on the street, I don’t need your permission. If I commercialize that picture, I do, because I am using your likeness for profit.

This is why movies shooting on the street get you to sign releases, and why TV shows that don’t (except news) will tend to blur faces of people from whom they didn’t get releases.

News is considered a public service. But if the local news started stalking and commercializing non-public individuals without their permission, you’d see some contention there too.

Does Google Street Maps fall into the “news” category? I don’t think so, though it is a public service. Does it need permission, or release forms from everyone it captures? No. But should it blur faces automatically in that case, or otherwise remove people? Yes.

]]> By: RealityPrime » More on Google, Security, and Michael Gianaris http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62093 RealityPrime » More on Google, Security, and Michael Gianaris Tue, 03 Jul 2007 15:22:32 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-62093 [...] you’ve read my other blog, you saw that I’d commented on a local state assemblyman’s apparent efforts to get Google to censor sensitive sites. [...] [...] you’ve read my other blog, you saw that I’d commented on a local state assemblyman’s apparent efforts to get Google to censor sensitive sites. [...]

]]> By: Ira http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61082 Ira Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:58:14 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61082 Avi, you are completely correct that sensitive buildings or security installations should be camouflaged. Blurring of satellite images or surveillance photos of such facilities should also be done at the source. For example, I believe the exit from the GW Parkway to NSA HQ in Washington used to be marked as some kind of sanitation facility until, inevitably, the secret got out. (All those well-dressed people in fancy cars didn't look like sanitation workers :^) Also, as you point out, satellite views of some areas in the US are apparently purposely blurred by the government source. Government buildings, the NY Stock Exchange, airports, bridges and tunnels and so on are terrorist targets. However, it would be impractical and ineffective to ban tourist maps or Internet photos of these potential targets. What I don't understand is your desire for Google and others to rid their street-level photos of identifiable people. If I take a photo of my wife in Times Square and post it to the Internet and some identifiable guy happens to be in the photo coming out of a porn shop or with a women not his wife or peeing in a corner, I don't think I've done anything wrong. Of course I am not Google and my website is not as well visited, etc. However, IMHO, the principle is the same. If you go out in public and are exposed doing something embarassing or illegal, tough luck! According to news reports today, two cars rigged with explosives were discovered in London's equivalent of Times Square and the bombs were disabled before they went off. There are some 50,000 surveillance cameras in England and those images will be analyzed carefully to trace the persons who parked those cars, where those cars came from, and so on. Some of those images may be made public and may show some identifiable Londoners doing embarassing things. Tough luck for them (and tougher luck for the terrorists). Ira PS: On your special delivery -- we all hope it arrives on time and in great condition. Avi, you are completely correct that sensitive buildings or security installations should be camouflaged. Blurring of satellite images or surveillance photos of such facilities should also be done at the source. For example, I believe the exit from the GW Parkway to NSA HQ in Washington used to be marked as some kind of sanitation facility until, inevitably, the secret got out. (All those well-dressed people in fancy cars didn’t look like sanitation workers :^) Also, as you point out, satellite views of some areas in the US are apparently purposely blurred by the government source.

Government buildings, the NY Stock Exchange, airports, bridges and tunnels and so on are terrorist targets. However, it would be impractical and ineffective to ban tourist maps or Internet photos of these potential targets.

What I don’t understand is your desire for Google and others to rid their street-level photos of identifiable people. If I take a photo of my wife in Times Square and post it to the Internet and some identifiable guy happens to be in the photo coming out of a porn shop or with a women not his wife or peeing in a corner, I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. Of course I am not Google and my website is not as well visited, etc. However, IMHO, the principle is the same. If you go out in public and are exposed doing something embarassing or illegal, tough luck!

According to news reports today, two cars rigged with explosives were discovered in London’s equivalent of Times Square and the bombs were disabled before they went off. There are some 50,000 surveillance cameras in England and those images will be analyzed carefully to trace the persons who parked those cars, where those cars came from, and so on. Some of those images may be made public and may show some identifiable Londoners doing embarassing things. Tough luck for them (and tougher luck for the terrorists).

Ira

PS: On your special delivery — we all hope it arrives on time and in great condition.

]]> By: University Update - Google - Google Earth Anxiety http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61010 University Update - Google - Google Earth Anxiety Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:02:26 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61010 [...] Link to Article google Google Earth Anxiety » Posted at Brownian Emotion on Friday, June 29, [...] [...] Link to Article google Google Earth Anxiety » Posted at Brownian Emotion on Friday, June 29, [...]

]]> By: Ogle Earth: A blog about virtual globes, with a special focus on Google Earth. http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61954 Ogle Earth: A blog about virtual globes, with a special focus on Google Earth. Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownianemotion.org/2007/06/29/google-earth-anxiety/#comment-61954 <!--%kramer-pre%--> First Photoshop CS3 Extended got a plugin for retrieving content from 3D Warehouse, now Graphisoft's ArchiCAD 11 gets the same functionality. Cadalyst has the news, and instrucitons. GE Security: Avi Bar-Ze’ev offers to explain to NY State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris why his security concerns regarding Google Earth are unfounded. Also, as of now he is putting his technology posts up on Reality Prime, so update your readers.<!--%kramer-post%--> First Photoshop CS3 Extended got a plugin for retrieving content from 3D Warehouse, now Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD 11 gets the same functionality. Cadalyst has the news, and instrucitons. GE Security: Avi Bar-Ze’ev offers to explain to NY State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris why his security concerns regarding Google Earth are unfounded. Also, as of now he is putting his technology posts up on Reality Prime, so update your readers.

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