Eek! Organization Claims Pedophiles Could Use Google Street View to Find Victims

slfisher 0 519 Views

The group , claiming that the Street View 360-degree technology can be used by pedophiles to help stalk their victims, is recommending that municipalities "an Street View from your neighborhoods until it is safeguarded to ensure children's safety and privacy."

How Google is supposed to do that, the organization doesn't say.

"Street View could make it simple, for example, for anyone to map the most likely route your child walks to school, calculate the distance between your front door and the school bus stop, view images of the different entrances to community parks, and even find the location of your families’ bedroom windows," the organization's website warns.

The technology, used in Google Maps, is thus far available in about 17 cities. Similar technologies are used products from other vendors, such as Microsoft, but Google's is for some reason the one primarily targeted.

Newspapers in , St. Louis, and Manchester, N.H., have run articles on the group -- most often to derision by readers.

"Why does this help child predators?" said 'Sabrina' from St. Louis. "If they live in the same town, they are likely well aware children play in parks. It they don’t live in the same town, they can get the same location information for parks that is already available in online maps."

Or paper maps, even. Like the kinds that some cities actually give out.

Google spokespeople are typically also quoted in the articles, noting that the company blurs faces and will remove photographs on request, and also that the information is no different from what could be captured on camera by someone in a car or on foot along city streets.

In fact, some cities -- most of them, in my experience -- actually have signs alerting potential predators to upcoming schools and parks. Eek!

The executive director of the organization, Stacie Rumenap, admitted in several articles that no children have been harmed through the tool, but, according to a letter the organization suggests sending to municipal officials, "our children’s safety is our number one priority and we cannot allow to [sic] be compromised."

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical update that builds on ’s concern (and ’s healthy skepticism): Street View does raise real privacy questions, but there are concrete, documented steps parents and local officials can take today — and a record of regulatory responses when problems have arisen.

How to act right away (for parents or property owners):

  • Open Google Maps on a desktop and enter the address.
  • Enter Street View (drag Pegman or click the Street View thumbnail), then click “Report a problem.”
  • Move/resize the red box to cover the area you want hidden, choose the correct reason (for example “My home”), add details and an email, then submit.
    Google reviews reports and will blur or remove content where appropriate; this is the official removal/blur channel. ()

Important behavior and limits to know

  • Street-level imagery is automatically processed to blur identifiable faces and license plates, but automated detection isn’t perfect; you can request extra blurring for specific items. ()
  • If Google accepts a blurring request it’s applied permanently to the published image (it can’t be “un-blurred” later), so be precise when you mark the area. (androidpolice.com)

What municipalities can realistically do

  • There isn’t a simple municipal “switch” to turn Street View off for a neighborhood; changes at scale usually required negotiations or regulatory action in countries that pushed back on Google’s program. Local governments that have objected historically worked with national data-protection authorities and with Google to limit or delay collections. For local policy work, coordinate legal counsel, the city’s privacy officer, and Google’s Maps/Street View help channels. (jolt.richmond.edu)

Context worth remembering

  • Street View isn’t the only public source of location information, and past controversies (for example Google’s 2010 Wi‑Fi data collection incident) show why oversight and clear reporting channels matter. Use the “Report a problem” tool first; escalate to local data‑protection authorities if you hit resistance. (phys.org)
Member Avatar for Ezzaral
Ezzaral 2,714 Posting Sage

> "our children’s safety is our number one priority and we cannot allow to [sic] be compromised."
Definitely. No one should be allowed to be around children nor go anywhere they might encounter or observe children. People can't be trusted around children - not even other children.

Shutting down Google Street view is not nearly enough. Everyone should be permanently blinded and chained a safe distance apart. Think of the the children!

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview