Privacy Campaigner Vows Legal Challenge To Street View

A privacy campaigner will launch a legal challenge to Google's Street View service, which was launched today. Simon Davies of Privacy International says that he will pursue "a test case" against Google.

Street View comprises 360 degree photographs of a town's streets, and is already live in the US and some European countries. It was launched today in the UK with coverage of 25 towns and cities.

People can be seen and sometimes identified in the photos as they originally appeared, but Google has implemented automatic image blurring technology for faces and car number plates.

Privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has given the service the all-clear, saying that the blurring means that the service does not publish personal information and so does not break the law.

Davies told OUT-LAW.COM that he will mount a legal challenge to the ICO's opinion.

"There still hasn't been a formal complaint put to the Information Commissioner, but we will [file one] now on the basis of prior consent being needed for this service," said Davies. "I think there is something of a test case in this. We are arguing that a line has to be drawn to empower the individual to make a conscious decision whether to allow his or her images on to such a system."

The UK's privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) endorsed the service last summer.

"We are satisfied that Google is putting in place adequate safeguards to avoid any risk to the privacy or safety of individuals, including the blurring of vehicle registration marks and the faces of anyone included in Street View images," said an ICO statement.

Google also said that people who did not want their photo to appear on the service could complain and have it taken down.

"Although it is possible that in certain limited circumstances an image may allow the identification of an individual, it is clear that Google are keen to capture images of streets and not individuals," said the ICO last summer. "Further there is an easy mechanism by which individuals can report an image that causes them concern to Google and request that it is removed."