See the “Nothing to Hide” people scurry for cover

I find it highly amusing that the government’s National Identity Database and ID cards bring out people who parrot the rhetoric of “What are you worried about if you’ve nothing to hide”. I suspect they can’t quite see that apart from the obvious flaw this plan has, and that government promises of safety and security of their data may be genuine, the plonkers that can access and use the data have, in recent months, proven themselves unworthy of that trust as they consistently lose data, and release information that they shouldn’t. And they selectively avoid the potential for misuse of that information by the government, which will not necessarily always be the same benevolent holder of power it may be today. It can change every few years, but why bother about such a trivial and unimportant little detail.

Google’s Street View photography service will soon go live in Scotland (maybe?), as the Google cars, which have a logo on their door and a metre-high camera rig on their roof, have been sighted in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds and Middlesbrough in the past week. Street View allows users of Google’s maps to view 360 degree photographs of streetscapes in towns and cities that have been catalogued by Google cameras.

In order to maintain people’s privacy, Google has implemented blurring technology in order to protect the identities of people and vehicles pictured. The technology blurs faces and vehicle number plates allowing high quality images to contain indistinct people and number plates. In any instances where position or angle defeats the automated blurring, individuals can report a face or number plate for extra blurring, and users can still ask for their image to be removed from the product entirely.

Although they probably don’t have the ability to do anything about the National Database or ID cards, that could really mess with your life, Privacy International, a UK rights group, believes the technology breaks data protection laws, and is out to hassle Google. Like all these groups with their own agendas, only what suits them is selectively pursued. Why does Privacy International not hit the headlines in the same way with something like the much more irritating and targeted Phorm? I have no idea, perhaps one should look at the consultancy client list of the those who are part of Privacy International?

If the no-one has anything to hide, then exactly what is Privacy International’s problem, other than to jump on the “Let’s have a go at Google” bandwaggon. In the UK at least, anyone is free to take photographs of anything they can see from a public place, and the road is a pretty public place if the Google are using camera cars. Privacy International is trying to muddy the waters by claiming that because Street View is being used for commercial ends anyone in the UK who appears in the photo needs to grant his or her consent. Really, with their faces blurred, and not the subject of the photograph?

And, as the folk that don’t like us saying NO2ID keep reminding us, if we’ve nothing to hide, then what’s the problem if you do happen to be photographed in a public place?

And to think, all I wanted to do was throw in a quick post about the Google camera car being out in Edinburgh, and that Street View might appear soon. Serves me right for doing a quick background check to see if there was any more info!