Google CEO Eric Schmidt: don’t like Street View? then move!

[Emil]

Google Street View only shows what is already publicly available; you could go visit every place on it yourself if you wanted to. The service just makes it easier by aggregating an image of every street from multiple sides so that you can see it from the comfort of your own home. That being said, Google is being attacked for it by privacy groups in various parts of the world, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt certainly isn't helping. Most recently, he claims that one reason why Street View isn't so bad is because you could "just move," inaccurately claiming that the Street View cars only visit every place once.

Of course, Street View doesn't (yet?) indicate where you live, so moving wouldn't solve the problem anyway. There are plenty of reasonable ways to respond to a privacy question about Street View, but Schmidt chooses to joke around instead. Check out the video below:

All Things Digital made a list of Schmidt's most recent tone-deaf responses to privacy questions which should help put this latest one in perspective:

• Addressed criticisms of Google's stance on privacy by saying, "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
• Claimed people want Google to "tell them what they should be doing next."
• Said of Google, "We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less know what you're thinking about."
• Said this: "One day we had a conversation where we figured we could just try to predict the stock market. And then we decided it was illegal. So we stopped doing that."
• Suggested name changes to protect adults from the Web's record of their youthful indiscretions.
• Said this: "What we're really doing is building an augmented version of humanity, building computers to help humans do the things they don't do well better."

Schmidt was probably making a poor joke about Street View. If this was the first time, we would call it a slip up, but the man's history shows otherwise. The CEO for the largest Internet company needs to start taking privacy seriously or we'll start to lose faith in Google.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/40859-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-dont-like-street-view-then-move.html

 

[oasis789]

schmidt should learn to keep his mouth shut and let PR handle it

 

[captaincranky]

Talking out of the seat of our pants again, are we then, Eric?

This is so annoying on so many levels. It certainly hasn't left me speechless, I simply don't have the time to respond to all of them.

 

[crzydave]

I wonder if there are any pictures of him on street view?

 

[TomSEA]

I personally like Street View. As a military retiree having traveled the world, it's fun to look up old haunts.

BUT...Schmidt acts like a total *****. If he doesn't watch it, Google will be staring down the barrel of a very expensive lawsuit, not to mention possible investigation/sanctions by the Feds.

 

[captaincranky]

I sure do hope he wipes his backside after giving a press release. That much "over spray" could become quite a personal hygiene problem.

 

[mikeusru]

It's true what he says... if it's photographable from a car on the road, it's in the public view, so there really shouldn't be any legal problems with posting it.
Morality, on the other hand, says something different. If for some reason, thinking no one was around, you came outside in your bathrobe (or simply forgot to shut a window) and something you didn't want showing popped out, it's very unfair (even though unlikely) that it should be posted on the internet for all your friends and family to see. A reasonable person wouldn't post it on facebook, and neither should google. Clearly they can't check every frame of street view by hand, but there should be an easily accessible feature to remove certain things on street view.

 

[gwailo247]

I like street view. It actually can put you in another place in the world with a pretty good degree of accuracy. If you really have an issue with something, then quietly contact Google, not a newspaper or blogger, and have the problem removed. People instead prefer to make a huge stink about how their privacy is violated, making themselves more known world-wide than they would have otherwise ever been.

 

[dustin_ds3000]

I see nothing wrong with Street View, i can look right at my front door with it and i don't care. The view of the front of my house is like public domain to me.

 

[Zilpha]

I don't necessarily see anything wrong with street view as long as they are showing only streets - but the way he trivializes it is appalling at best, reckless at worst. There are many reasons why people might want to keep their privacy - abusive ex-husband or boyfriend, stalking girlfriend - weirdo on the internet, to name a few. These shots can potentially have personally identifying landmarks - maybe a glimpse of a certain painting through a window..


I mean it's a long shot but the way he is just completely insensitive to peoples' right to privacy is mind-boggling and a far cry from the old do no evil mantra.

 

[Nexus7Model]

Google - 'You should move!'

Apple - 'You're holding it wrong!'

Microsoft - <can't think of anything recent...anyone?!>

 

[Jibberish18]

Nexus7Model said:
Google - 'You should move!'

Apple - 'You're holding it wrong!'

Microsoft - <can't think of anything recent...anyone?!>

Microsoft - "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."

As for Mr. Schmidt. Chock up his comments to go with one of the most Hypocritical comments of our time

Google - "Don't Be Evil!"

 

[frodough]

there is nothing wrong with what google is doing on street view, everything is available, the big g is just making it easier.

 

[kaonis92]

He has a point because street view does nothing more than take pictures of your house from the street something that can be done legally by anyone. I would actually like to see my house in street view but in Greece the goverment banned it for privacy concerns... I still can't believe he said "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place." though!!! Who does he think he is? God?

 

[Zilpha]

Microsoft - "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."

As for Mr. Schmidt. Chock up his comments to go with one of the most Hypocritical comments of our time

Google - "Don't Be Evil!"

Yea, but while Microsoft's statement might have been an inaccurate prediction, it wasn't a world-class jackmaroon comment.

 

[captaincranky]

Google - 'You should move!'

Apple - 'You're holding it wrong!'

Microsoft - <can't think of anything recent...anyone?!>

At some point M$ did state that "Blu-Ray would be passed over as a format". Which is exactly what I'm planning to do. (Although I certainly don't claim to speak for the majority).

And then there was something about, "nobody plays FPS games on the PC".
You'll have to judge the veracity of either of those statements for yourself.

Although in truth, they've said nothing that rises anywhere close to the level of this nitwit at Google. Who has proven once again that, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Or perhaps he has become the punchline of a very old joke, "you don't have to have brains to be in charge, you just have to be an a**hole."

 

[dummybait]

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

Umm... does anybody see something wrong with this sentence? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense

 

[captaincranky]

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

Umm... does anybody see something wrong with this sentence? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense

It certainly doesn't have the proud, patriotic, clarion call of good old fashioned American individuality , "what I'm doing, is none of your f***** business, now does it? Wait I'll answer that, no, no ,no, it certainly does not.

 

[princeton]

captaincranky said:

Google - 'You should move!'

Apple - 'You're holding it wrong!'

Microsoft - <can't think of anything recent...anyone?!>

At some point M$ did state that "Blu-Ray would be passed over as a format". Which is exactly what I'm planning to do. (Although I certainly don't claim to speak for the majority).

And then there was something about, "nobody plays FPS games on the PC".
You'll have to judge the veracity of either of those statements for yourself.

Although in truth, they've said nothing that rises anywhere close to the level of this nitwit at Google. Who has proven once again that, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Or perhaps he has become the punchline of a very old joke, "you don't have to have brains to be in charge, you just have to be an a**hole."

But after that comment about fps games didn't MS retract it saying that they will "Lead the way." Even if they don't do it it's better than the ***** at google who doesn't if what he says causes bad press.

 

[The5Xfactor]

I like the street view and I also like:
-------------
"One day we had a conversation where we figured we could just try to predict the stock market. And then we decided it was illegal. So we stopped doing that."
-------------
I wonder if it is the 'end of the stock market' when Google and other big players predict the market 100% ! (maybe they do already!)

 

[captaincranky]

Although in truth, they've said nothing that rises anywhere close to the level of this nitwit at Google

.

But after that comment about fps games didn't MS retract it saying that they will "Lead the way." Even if they don't do it it's better than the ***** at google who doesn't if what he says causes bad press.

I think the above sentence from my post you quoted, addresses itself directly to the point you're trying to make. I'll reword it then; M$ has said nothing in recent memory, that was anywhere near approaching being as stupid as the recent comments made by Google's CEO...!

As to M$, "leading the way", on FPS for the PC, I guess we'll all have to wait to see what develops.

 

[sMILEY4ever]

Eric Schmidt should take some more PR courses.

 

[vangrat]

I am of two minds on this matter. I agree with the people who state that this is a privacy issue, but on the other hand, this program allows for instantanious transmission of visual information on locations around the world. Currently, people are angry over this. But, in a few years time, programs like streetview will help pave the way for real time, real world, always online technology. This is both scary, and exciting, at the same time.

I wonder if it would/could be possible to build a "wikiview" type global map, that is completely 100% opt-in, where other people could post street level photos of locations? I know that Google Maps integegrates with wikipedia, but if all content was user generated, than fewer complaints would be had. Or the ones that are had, could be pin pointed to specific users, or just removed outright.

Just a thunk.

 

[Relic]

I find Street View very useful and overall don't have an issue with it. However not everything on Street View is in the public, I found several local places were the Google car drove onto properties that aren't open, even by signs that say 'Private Property - No Trespassing!' which is kind of funny. I also doubt this is some isolated incident. I'm sure Google would remove those streets if told so, but they should follow the law to begin with and not after the fact. So this mocking of privacy groups is pretty asinine.

 

[klepto12]

I dont see how street view is any different than some random person driving by your house and taking photos from the street that seems legal to me its public property. Google street view has helped me find a place many times because i could actually see what i was looking for.