Google Street View has been stopped in Greece pending the Silicon Valley giant informing authorities how it will ensure peoples’ privacy on the web application.  The Hellenic Data Protection Authority of the Greek government wants to know how long Google will store Street View information on its servers and how it intends to inform citizens of their privacy rights before it will allow any further implementation of the app in Greece.

Google is still in the process of responding to the Greek government’s requests but has stressed in a statement the importance it puts on privacy, saying “Google takes privacy very seriously, and that’s why we have put in place a number of features, including the blurring of faces and licence plates, to ensure that Street View will respect local norms when it launches in Greece.”

I love Google applications and have for years on end now.  In my mind, they are unquestionably one of the most forward thinking and innovative corporations in the world, and their technology applications are so well thought out and useful that the Internet would be a considerably worse place without them.  However, I am often weary about how far Google is reaching with the vast amount of information they collect and organize.  I have complete faith in the company as it is now.  But what if their corporate culture were to change?  Currently I use Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, traditional Google search, YouTube, Blogger, Google Street View and Google Alerts all as everyday facets of my life.  This is a lot of information for one company to possess about me and the information I produce and choose to access.  While I don’t think governmental authorities should deter Google’s impressive innovations in information technology, there still must be oversight to any entity that is gaining so much power, or potential power, through information.  The Greek government is absolutely right to provide such oversight on behalf of its citizens.

LINKS:

BBC News: Greece puts brakes on Street View

CNet: Greece halts Google Street View

TechWhack: Greece has issues with Google Street View