Privacy concerns
Main article: Google Street View privacy concerns
Google Street View will blur houses for any user who makes a request, in addition to the automatic blurring of faces and licence plates.[21] Privacy advocates have objected to the Google Street View, pointing to views found to show men leaving strip clubs, protesters at an abortion clinic, sunbathers in bikinis, and people engaging in activities visible from public property in which they do not wish to be seen publicly.[22] Another concern is the height of the cameras, and in at least two countries, Japan[23] and Switzerland,[24] Google has had to lower the height of its cameras so as to not peer over fences and hedges. The service also allows users themselves to flag inappropriate or sensitive imagery for Google to review and remove.[25] Police Scotland received an apology for wasting police time in 2014 from a local business owner in Edinburgh who in 2012 had staged a fake murder for the Google camera car by lying in the road "while his colleague stood over him with a pickaxe handle".[26] In May 2010, it was revealed that Google had collected and stored payload data from unencrypted Wi-Fi connections as part of Street View.[27] German authorities are considering legal action while the Foreign Minister said "I will do all I can to prevent it." Australian police have also been ordered to investigate.[28]
The concerns have led to Google not providing or suspending the service in countries around the world.
Australia: In 2010, Google Street View ceased operations in Australia, following months of investigations from Australian authorities.[29] However, this cessation has since ended, with Google announcing plans to continue production on May 4, 2011[30] and subsequently releasing updated Street View imagery for Australian towns and cities on July 27, 2011.[31]
Germany: In 2011, Google stopped taking Street View images in Germany.[32]
India: In 2011, Google stopped taking street images in India, after receiving a letter from the local authorities.[33]
Canada: Street View cars had been spotted as early as September 2007, in Montréal, though service for Canada was delayed while attempting to settle with the Canadian government over its privacy laws.