Just as Google got fined for its Books project in France, the company is making concessions on its other controversial product Street View, this time in Switzerland. Authorities in the country claim that Google has agreed to stop publishing any new images taken in Switzerland for Street View until a court can decide if it acts in accordance with the privacy laws of the country.
Google came under fire in Switzerland shortly after launching the service there. Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) Hanspeter Thuer spoke out against the company initially claiming that its face and numberplate blurring technology wasn’t good enough to cover all cases and that the height at which the cameras on the Street View cars were positioned enabled it to take shots over fences and walls exposing private proprieties. He also accused Google of being uncooperative in comply with the organization’s requests.
In November, the commissioner took Google to court in an effort to block the service in the country. Now, officials are claiming that Google has agreed to stop updating the Street View imagery in the country until the court issues a decision. However, Google will be able to continue to acquire the images, with several caveats, during this time.
“We are pleased tha… (read more)