Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
How many German households have opted-out of Street View?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Cross posted from
Der Google Produkt-Kompass
Since April 2009, people in Germany have been able to ask for their house to be blurred on Street View ahead of the product being launched. At first they could ‘opt-out’ by writing us a letter and a few months ago we launched a special online tool to make the process easier. We worked closely with the Data Protection Authorities to ensure all the right German privacy standards were met.
We’re now close to launching Street View imagery for the 20 biggest cities in Germany and we’ve counted the number of households in those cities which decided to opt-out. Out of a total of 8,458,084 households we received 244,237 opt-outs, which equals 2.89% of households. Two out of three opt-ots came through our online tool.
Given how complex the process is, there will be some houses that people asked us to blur that will be visible when we launch the imagery in a few weeks time. We’ve worked very hard to keep the numbers as low as possible but in any system like this there will be mistakes. For instance, some people asked us to blur their house, but didn’t give us the precise location. In such cases the household can still ask us to blur the image using the ‘report a problem’ tool on Street View once imagery is published - and we’ll do it as fast as we can. The same is true of faces and car licence plates that our automatic blurring technology may have missed.
It won’t be long before you’ll be able to look at some of the most beautiful images of Germany using Street View. We’ve got a couple of nice surprises as well. We’ll be back with more news soon!
Posted by Andreas Türk, Product Manager for Street View in Germany
Innovation culture and Germany’s digital society
Monday, July 19, 2010
When Members of Parliament regrouped in Berlin last year after the German Federal elections, one of the first things they did was establish the
Enquete-Kommission
to look into the internet and digital society. The group was tasked with examining how Germany’s political, legal and social frameworks need to adapt to the opportunities and challenges presented by the digital revolution.
Since the Kommission’s establishment, discussions in Germany about the internet have been infused with new energy. A wide variety of stakeholders are coming to the table to share their positions and arguments. Berlin’s political community is getting involved in the discussion about the possibilities of the web as never before. And German web users from all walks of life are finding their voice, contributing to the debate and sharing their views on what the internet means for them and for society at large.
At Google, we’re keen to stimulate and support this very important discussion. That’s why we’re one of the initiators (together with a wide
range of other interested parties
) of a new thinktank,
the Internet & Society Co:llaboratory
, which we also fund. We think it takes a refreshingly independent and innovative approach to debating how the internet affects us all in our daily lives – and how we can ensure it continues to be an engine of innovation and economic growth.
At the core of the Co:llaboratory are independent
internet policy experts
representing the worlds of science, business, and civil society. These experts bring a diverse range of viewpoints to the table and are responsible for both monitoring developments in the digital world and defining the key issues the group wants to debate. Every quarter, they will make proposals for how developments in the digital world can be framed and used in the best possible way for society as a whole.
It is not called the Co:llaboratory for nothing. Every three months, the group will test and refine its positions and recommendations on a specific topic with a wide community of stakeholders. Their feedback and positions are then brought together into a quarterly report which gives a snapshot of how people think and feel about particular issues. The Co:llaboratory also shares its findings via its
website
and its
YouTube channel
, which is managed and moderated by
politik-digital.de
, one of the co-initiators of the thinktank.
The Co:llaboratory recently issued its
first report
on the state of online innovation culture in Germany – one of the first to come out after the establishment of the parliamentary commission. The findings are based on a survey of more than 530 members of the broader German internet community, and on more than 2,300 responses and statements, covering five key areas:
Internet governance and standardisation
Removing obstacles to innovation: legal frameworks and intellectual property
Data protection and the principle of choice
Digital communication, democracy and freedom of speech
Reducing the digital divide and the importance of access to the internet
I’d encourage you to read the report: it’s insightful, thought-provoking, controversial in places. We don’t necessarily agree with everything that’s said in the report either. But what’s important is that there is now a recognition in Germany that the internet really matters and that it is vital to ensuring we remain innovative and competitive as a country.
We’re glad to be engaged in the debate, and we hope that there will be more initiatives like the Co:llaboratory, ensuring that the views of web users are represented too.
Posted by: Dr. Max Senges, Google Policy team, Germany
[BTW: if you’re not a German speaker, you might want to use
Google Translate
to take a closer look at some of the links I’ve included in this post.]
German Supreme Court rules that Image Search does not infringe copyright
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Google's aim is to help users discover information as quickly and efficiently as possible. Sometimes the information they seek is in written or audio form, and sometimes the information they seek is visual - which may take the form of photographs, designs, artworks or other types of imagery - and we try to present the information in a way that best answers the user’s query.
With this in mind, we launched our Image Search service in 2003, which presents users with a selection of reduced-resolution thumbnail images relating to their search query. Users can then click through to the site that hosts the image to see it in full-size or to see the content around it. Millions of users find this service helpful - they can quickly find exactly what they want, and many site owners do too - it’s another means through which Internet users can discover their sites. Website owners have complete control over what Google will crawl on their site: with a simple set of tools called robots.txt they can notably tell Google (and other search engines) not to crawl the images on their site.
We are heartened by the German Supreme Court´s ruling today that Google Image Search does not infringe copyright. The case was brought to court by an artist who had uploaded photos of her work (large paintings) to her own website. She then claimed for copyright infringement against Google as the images were displayed in our image search results.
Today´s ruling makes it clear not just for Google, its users in Germany and all owners of websites containing images, but also for all providers of image search services operating in the country: showing thumbnail images within search results is legitimate and millions of users in Germany benefit from being able to discover visual information at the click of a mouse.
We still have to wait for the full reasoning behind the decision. What we know today: thousands of websites and companies in Germany will be able to benefit from Google Image Search in the future as well. News websites on the Internet, online providers of pictures and posters, artists, photographers, designers and many more who depend on the web for their livelihoods can go on using the service as a significant distribution platform.
Posted by Dr. Arnd Haller, Managing Counsel, Google Germany GmbH
Data collected by Google cars
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
[
Editor's note, 5/14/10:
This post contains incorrect information about our WiFi data collection (see * below). We have
posted a clarification and update
about our process on the Official Google Blog.]
Over the weekend, there was a lot of talk about exactly what information Google Street View cars collect as they drive our streets. While we have
talked
about the collection of WiFi data a number of times
before
--and there have been stories published in the
press
--we thought a refresher FAQ pulling everything together in one place would be useful. This blog also addresses concerns raised by data protection authorities in Germany.
What information are your cars collecting?
We collect the following information--photos, local WiFi network data and 3-D building imagery. This information enables us to build new services, and improve existing ones. Many other companies have been collecting data just like this for as long as, if not longer, than Google.
Photos
: so that we can build Street View, our 360 degree street level maps. Photos like these are also being taken by
TeleAtlas
and
NavTeq for Bing maps
. In addition, we use this imagery to improve the quality of our maps, for example by using shop, street and traffic signs to refine our local business listings and travel directions;
WiFi network information
: which we use to improve location-based services like search and maps. Organizations like the German
Fraunhofer Institute
and
Skyhook
already collect this information globally;
and 3-D building imagery
: we collect 3D geometry data with low power lasers (similar to those used in retail scanners) which help us improve our maps.
NavTeq
also collects this information in partnership with Bing. As does
TeleAtlas
.
What do you mean when you talk about WiFi network information?
WiFi networks broadcast information that identifies the network and how that network operates. That includes SSID data (i.e. the network name) and MAC address (a unique number given to a device like a WiFi router).
Networks also send information to other computers that are using the network, called payload data, but Google does not collect or store payload data.*
But doesn’t this information identify people?
MAC addresses are a simple hardware ID assigned by the manufacturer. And SSIDs are often just the name of the router manufacturer or ISP with numbers and letters added, though some people do also personalize them.
However, we do not collect any information about householders, we cannot identify an individual from the location data Google collects via its Street View cars.
Is it, as the German DPA states, illegal to collect WiFi network information?
We do not believe it is illegal--this is all publicly broadcast information which is accessible to anyone with a WiFi-enabled device. Companies like Skyhook have been collecting this data cross Europe for longer than Google, as well as organizations like the German Fraunhofer Institute.
Why did you not tell the DPAs that you were collecting WiFi network information?
Given it was unrelated to Street View, that it is accessible to any WiFi-enabled device and that other companies already collect it, we did not think it was necessary. However, it’s clear with hindsight that greater transparency would have been better.
Why is Google collecting this data?
The data which we collect is used to improve Google’s location based services, as well as services provided by the Google Geo Location API. For example, users of Google Maps for Mobile can turn on “My Location” to identify their approximate location based on cell towers and WiFi access points which are visible to their device. Similarly, users of sites like Twitter can use location based services to add a geo location to give greater context to their messages.
Can this data be used by third parties?
Yes--but the only data which Google discloses to third parties through our Geo Location API is a triangulated geo code, which is an approximate location of the user’s device derived from all location data known about that point. At no point does Google publicly disclose MAC addresses from its database (in contrast with some other providers in Germany and elsewhere).
Do you publish this information?
No.
But wouldn’t GPS enable you to do to all this without collecting the additional data?
Yes--but it can be much slower or not available (e.g. when there is no view of the sky; when blocked by tall buildings). Plus many devices don’t have GPS enabled. GPS is also expensive in terms of battery consumption, so another reason to use WiFi location versus GPS is to conserve energy.
How does this location database work?
Google location based services using WiFi access point data work as follows:
The user’s device sends a request to the Google location server with a list of MAC addresses which are currently visible to the device;
The location server compares the MAC addresses seen by the user’s device with its list of known MAC addresses, and identifies associated geocoded locations (i.e. latitude / longitude);
The location server then uses the geocoded locations associated with visible MAC address to triangulate the approximate location of the user;
and this approximate location is geocoded and sent back to the user’s device.
How do your cars collect this WiFi data?
Visibly attached to the top of the car is a commercially available radio antenna. This antennae receives publicly broadcast WiFi radio signals within range of the vehicle. The equipment within the car operates passively, receiving signals broadcast to it but not actively seeking or initiating a communication with the access point.
Why didn’t you let the German DPA see the car?
We offered to let them examine it last year --it is totally untrue to say we would not let them see the car. They are still welcome to do so.
How do you collect 3-D building imagery?
We collect 3D geometry data with low power lasers (similar to those used in retail scanners).
Is this safe?
Yes.
You can also read the WiFi
submission
we made today to several national data protection authorities.
Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel
** Added additional sentence to first bullet point.
Europe's Elections Seen By Google
Friday, June 5, 2009
As voters began to go to the polls to elect a new European Parliament, we thought it would be interesting to use some of advanced tools to capture the vote's trends. By deploying our public tool
Insights for Search
, we wer, we were able to compare the searching patterns of millions of Brits, French, German, Italians and Poles and compute how interest in a topic changes over time. In each country, we looked at the search for political parties in the run up to the election.
The results were fascinating. While many ruling parties showed surprising resilience, the searches underlined how non-traditional and often anti-European parties have gained ground. The UK presents a striking example. Interest in both Labour and the Conservatives stagnated, while smaller parties like the Greens and UK Independence party surged ahead in the wake of the MPs expenses scandal.
A word of caution is in order. It is possible to slice these data in multiple ways. People use a variety of different forms of shorthand when they search, and political parties are no different. The search queries compared here represent the least ambiguous versions of searching for a given party--BNP is a bank in addition to a party, of course, but the Greens share their name with a color and both Labour and Conservative are likewise words in their own right. In addition, there is nothing exhaustive or completely conclusive about these queries. Searches don't necessarily translate into votes.
Even so, we believe that large amounts of anonymous data provides a powerful tool for making important insights.
Our
Google Flu Trends
allo
ws us to predict the spread of the disease faster than public authorities and could end up saving lives. So take a moment to ruminate over the following search results taking the political pulse in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
United Kingdom
FRANCE
In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP dominated searches and the Socialist Party continued to stagnate. But in the final days before the vote, the left-wing "Front de Gauche" and the right-wing "Front National" gained traction. The Greens, meanwhile, failed to gain real momentum.
GERMANY
In Germany, searches veered left. While the ruling coalition continued to dominate, junior left wing partner SPD rose faster than the Chancellor Angela Merkel's center right CDU. Centrist Free Democrats scored a strong showing and the radical left-wing Die Linke looked poised to surprise and the Greens showing a strong performance.
Italy
Italians seemed to favor the left wing PD and IDV formations over Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's ruling PDL People of Freedom. Little change was visible over the final month of campaigning.
POLAND
Poles turned first to Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform. But a surprising number searched for anti-European, nationalist party Libertas, which was born out of the Irish No vote against the Lisbon Treaty.
Posted by Bill Echikson, Senior Manager, Communications
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