Google Says Street View Will Comply With Privacy Laws

"Google Inc.'s Street View application, which has raise privacy concerns because of the street-level views of locations it provides, will respect the local laws of the countries wherever it is available, the company's privacy counsel said today in a company blog.

Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer appears to be responding to concerns raised by Canada's privacy commissioner about the implications of Street View.

In a recent letter to Google, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said Street View may violate that country's privacy law, which prohibits the commercial use of personal data without permission from the individual. Stoddart was likely making preemptive strike since the application isn't offered in Canada yet.

Currently, Street View provides users with a close look at U.S. city streets that could include identifiable images of people. Google launched Street View in May with its Canadian partner, Immersive Media Corp." |Read more|