Belgium today becomes the 17th European country launched on Street View. From now on, anyone with a computer will be able to visit the country’s 300 castles, 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 200 museums, and more than 2000 chocolate shops. In the the capital, Brussels, users can now take a virtual stroll around the famous Grand Place.
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Every day millions of Europeans use Street View to find their destination, make travel plans or get a helping hand with geography homework. Businesses also benefit from the Street View technology by embedding Google Maps directly into their site, helping them to promote a chain of hotels or increase awareness of a local store or restaurant. From the historic ruins of Pompei to the majestic Swiss Alps , Street View helps preserve and promotes some Europe's most significant heritage sites for future generations.
As we roll out Street View, we have gone to great lengths to safeguard privacy. Street View only contains imagery that is already visible from public roads and features technology that blurs both faces and licence plates. In addition, any user can flag images for removal that he or she considers inappropriate by clicking on "Report a problem." When developing these safeguards, we have consulted extensively with many privacy and community groups. In Belgium, for example, we worked closely with the Belgian Privacy Commission, which published a press release of its findings. More information about Street View privacy policies is available at this web site .
In the heart of Europe, policymakers now will be able to get a first hand look of Street View. Belgium was one of the founding members of the European Union and Brussels is home to many European Union and international headquarters. Users can now explore the area around the European Parliament and the European Commission.
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Beyond Brussels is a world of landscapes, castles and stone-built villages. From the scenic town centre of Bruges to the castles of Bouillon, Belgium’s magnificent sites are now available for all on Street View. The historic battlefield of Waterloo is also now live.
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We’re thrilled to be launching the imagery of this fascinating country. As we continue to expand Street View, we look forward to making more of Europe available for users to explore.
Posted by Michael Valvo, Street View manager
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