The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday accused Google of failing to block some license plates and faces on its Street View application, saying this infringed on people’s privacy.
Google Street View provides panoramic photographs of streets, buildings, cars and pedestrians, which users can navigate online. However, while in most photos license plates and individuals’ faces have been blurred out, in some street views, those can still be seen clearly, the consumer rights watchdog said yesterday.
The foundation tested the application last month by keying in various addresses in different parts of Taiwan and found that many street views failed to block out or blur parts of images that infringed upon people’s privacy.
A few months ago, an image of a woman who was not fully clothed and leaning out of a window was captured by Google Street View and was accessible to anyone who typed in the address of the building. Although Google later removed the photo, the controversy sparked criticism of Google’s practices and whether the Street View feature violated personal privacy.
Foundation vice chairperson Joann Su (蘇錦霞) said that although Google used artificial recognition software that automatically blurs out faces and license plates, in some cases the software failed to do so.
Cabs, for example, are required to print their license numbers on the side of the car in addition to the license plate at the back of the vehicle. However, the recognition program fails to blur out numbers appearing on the side of a vehicle. Also, when individuals make certain hand gestures next to their faces, the program fails to recognize and blur the images, resulting in clear photos of people’s faces, Su said.
Responding yesterday, Google Taiwan said in a statement that anyone who felt the street-level photos infringed on their privacy could file a complaint with the company and request the removal or adjustment of problematic images.
Caroline Hsu, head of communications at Google Taiwan and Hong Kong, said users can report any issues to Google Taiwan and that the company would review them and correct any controversial images as quickly as possible.
Hsu said the company would continue to focus on improving the efficiency of its system software to protect people’s privacy.
Additional reporting by CNA
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