[LINK] APF Policy re Google StreetView

[Ivan Trundle]

On 12/08/2008, at 8:33 AM, Roger Clarke wrote:

> It doesn't make as easy or as interesting reading as Richard
> Chirgwin's piece, I'm sorry.
>
> But this is where we stand after some months of working on, and to a
> limited extent with, Google Australia's policy executive:
>
>         APF Policy Statement re Google StreetView
>         http://www.privacy.org.au/Papers/StreetView.html

A reasoned and level-headed approach, and focusses on the key issues  
of accountability (and the mechanisms for dealing with the issue).

As much as Richard's piece was entertaining, much of the overall  
community commentary is values-laden and emotional, which devalues the  
overall discussion of the underlying problems with Street View (or  
more appropriately, Google itself).

Some of the asserted risks are difficult to describe (for example, how  
is a 'female-only household' likely to be discovered?) or are more  
easily refuted by suggesting that the process of taking a photo can be  
undertaken by anyone with a camera (such as with building security).

Perhaps, too, the policy statement should reflect on the statement  
relating to 'the experience gained in the first two days after  
launch': this implies that it is shooting from the hip and is thus  
tied to the emotional reaction of the service's introduction.

However, the Privacy Impact Assessment would place all of this under  
scrutiny, and exposes the true nature of the issues that we face.

iT