Google wants to offer Street View in Germany just like in other countries landen

Google has asked the data protection officer in Hamburg whether it can publish images on Street View without Germans being able to object in advance. Google is also trying to get permission on a European level.

The Hamburg data protection authority confirms to the Welt am Sonntag that Google has asked whether it is possible to publish panoramic photos without prior objection. “We are currently in the process of coordinating it with the other German supervisory authorities,” the official said. The question was put to the datenschutzbeauftragten of Hamburg because Google’s German headquarters is located here.

Also in Ireland, where Google’s European headquarters is located, Google is investigating whether it is possible to offer Street View in Germany on an equal footing with other countries. Due to the entry into force of the GDPR, it could be that the authority of the country where a company’s European headquarters is located is responsible for the case, and no longer the Hamburg authority.

In addition, the subject is on the agenda of the European Data Protection Board meeting in November. The committee wants to draw up uniform European standards for all services with panoramic images, so that similar rules will apply in Germany for, among other things, Street View.

Google’s service faced many privacy concerns when it was introduced in Germany almost ten years ago. To address those concerns, the company eventually offered an opt-out option to citizens, who could prevent their home from being visible on Street View. 244,000 people made use of that opt-out, which meant that Google ultimately decided against developing the service in Germany. Since then there have been very outdated photos of only a few German cities and with the necessary houses made unrecognizable on the German panorama service.