Switzerland- One of the most private countries on earth. People who live in Switzerland enjoy their privacy, but Google still managed a surprising win this week.
Google recently appealed a ruling that Google comply with privacy requirements including 100% accuracy blurring (not 99.9%) of people’s faces and license plates in order to operate their street view in Switzerland.
Honestly, I’m impressed. Switzerland is famous for its’ banking privacy laws which have made it a haven for untraceable money, and yet the government has ruled in favor of allowing Google to completely map out their streets in 3D. Of course there are restrictions, such as an order that Google lower their cameras so that they don’t photograph over walls into people’s private property, but the government actually agreed to a lower standard of accuracy of blurring. The agreement states that 99% is acceptable. Google certainly can afford a good legal team. This is a big win for google, because they really need to build up some fancy tools to keep their maps program a cut above whatever Apple is rumored to be building.
Check out the videos below on the interesting way they actually build Google Streetview. The first one is more of a technical explanation while the second one is a more fun way to look at the process.
The Technical Terms behind Google Streetview
A more fun way to look at Streetview
