The rise of the commercial Internet in the 1990s had an enormous impact
on the business world, but also on society and every single person. It changed
the way we communicate and opened up endless new possibilities. However,
the Internet challenged the traditional understanding of privacy and data protection
- leading to controversial discussions about their importance in the
Internet age. One example therefore is the public debate around the introduction
of Google Street View in Germany. Many Germans saw their basic rights
in danger and had a very skeptical attitude towards the new service, resulting
in numerous demands to outlaw Street View and more than 200.000 requests
to blur images of houses.