ICO says Street View not a privacy problem

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has rejected objections from human rights group Privacy International over Google's Street View.

The privacy watchdog said that the application does not constitute a threat to personal privacy, comparing it to televised football matches when people can be caught on camera. It said the pictures captured did not make it similar to CCTV as they were still shots and not rolling footage.

In a reply to Simon Davies, the director of Privacy International, it said it was satisfied with the safeguards used by Google.

“The fact that the technology has not been 100 per cent successful [in not totally hiding some people’s identity] should not be a surprise to anyone but it does not change our view that [the blurring technology] was and remains an adequate safeguard put in place by Google to avoid unnecessary risk to the privacy of individuals.”

Street View has been mired in controversy since it was first introduced to the UK in March. The application, available through the Google Maps tool, covers 25 cities and provides a photographic 360-degree view of streets across the country.

Google uses automated software to obscure details such as faces and number plates, but some people are clearly identifiable and feel it is a violation of their privacy. Google has already been forced to pull images after early users identified themselves in the photos.

Images taken down so far include a man vomiting in Shoreditch and another man outside a Soho sex shop. Replacing them is now a message that reads: "This image is no longer available."

There are also fears the tool could be used by burglars to ‘case’ properties.

The ICO said it would continue to review the issue and will deal with any specific complaints from individuals or organisations that may arise.