Europe Blog
Our views on the Internet and society
Explore the Galapagos’ biodiversity with Street View
Thursday, September 12, 2013
This week marks the 178th anniversary of Darwin’s discovery of the Galapagos Islands. This volcanic archipelago is one of the most biodiverse and unique places on the planet, with species that have remarkably adapted to their environment. Through observing the animals, Darwin made key insights that informed his theory of evolution. Here’s a short documentary that captures the 10-day expedition:
Today, in partnership with the Directorate of the
Galapagos National Park
and
Charles Darwin Foundation
, we’re launching the 360-degree images from the Galapagos Islands that
we collected in May
with the
Street View Trekker
. Now, you can visit the islands from anywhere you may be, and see many of the animals that Darwin experienced on his historic and groundbreaking journey in 1835.
Darwin may have first sighted San Cristobal Island
from the water
, perhaps near where we sailed with the Trekker strapped to a boat in order to observe the
craggy shoreline
and the
Magnificent Frigatebirds
that the rocky landscape shelters. After landing on San Cristobal, we made our way to Galapaguera Cerro Colorado, a breeding center that helps to restore the population of the island tortoises, seriously threatened by invasive species. Wearing the Trekker, we walked by
giant tortoises munching on leafy stalks
and recently hatched
baby tortoises
.
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The Galapaguera plays a critical role in conservation of the giant tortoises
Darwin visited Floreana Island, but he didn’t have the scuba gear needed to properly explore the marine life just off the island’s coast. Thanks to our partner,
Catlin Seaview Survey
and their
SVII underwater camera
, we were able to collect underwater imagery of some especially
energetic and inquisitive sea lions
that came out to see whether the divers wanted to play!
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The playful Galapagos Sea Lion is one of the endemic species of the islands
On our hike through the wetlands of Isabela Island, we spotted some marine iguanas, including
this one
sunning itself after a morning swim. On North Seymour Island, we got up close and personal to
blue-footed boobies performing their mating dance
and the
Magnificent Frigatebirds with their red throat sacs
.
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The blue-footed boobies on North Seymour island
The
extensive Street View imagery of the Galapagos Islands
won’t just enable armchair travelers to experiences the islands from anywhere in the world—it will also play an instrumental role in the ongoing research of the environment, conservation, animal migration patterns and the impact of tourism on the islands. See our
Lat Long blog post
for an example of how the imagery will be used for scientific research.
Visit our
behind-the-scenes experience
and tune in to an exclusive
Google+ Hangout
with the Google Maps team and our partners at 9:00 a.m. PT today to learn more about this special collection of imagery.
Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Project Lead, Google Earth Outreach
Discovering Europe’s historic Parliament buildings
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Few Europeans have the opportunity to visit their parliament, the historic home of their democracy. Now, however, technology and the Internet offer a glimpse into the splendours of the some of these hidden chambers where important decisions are made.
To mark this year’s European Heritage Days (where people can get a peek inside iconic buildings not normally open to the public), we joined with the French National Assembly on two exciting projects. From today, you can
virtually visit
the Palais Bourbon, seat of France’s National Assembly
via Street View
in Google Maps. A
trolley
equipped with fifteen lenses took 360° pictures allowing anyone with an Internet connection to virtually explore the architecture, paintings and decor of this impressive building. At the click of a button you can transport yourself to the centre of decision-making in France.
View Larger Map
The Street View imagery is also featured in an online exhibition created by the National Assembly using imagery from the the
Google Cultural Institute
G. Entitled
"Enter the Chambers"
, the exhibition features photos and historical commentary on the European Union’s 42 parliaments, ranging from the Bundestag in Berlin to the Sejm in Warsaw. ontributions have been made from many individual Parliaments to showcase an impressive array of buildings and architecture rarely seen in a single place.
The parliamentary initiative is not the only one way we are working to bring online historic buildings and sites On our Cultural Institute platform, we offer virtual tours of many sites around the world, from the
archaeological site of Pompeii
to the
Versailles Palace
and even the art collection of the
White House
in the US on the Cultural Institute site with content contributed from cultural institutions from all around the world. We hope you enjoy exploring.
Posted by Francis Donnat, Senior Policy Counsel, Google France
Celebrating the heights of modern and ancient Arab culture
Thursday, June 27, 2013
What does it feel like to stand on top of the tallest building in the world? Or to visit virtually one of the the world’s most historic sites? We took
Street View
to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Spain’s Alhambra, our first-ever collection in the Arab World. Described as a “vertical city,” the
Burj Khalifa
is the world’s tallest manmade structure, towering over the Dubai skyline at 828 meters (2,716.5 ft).
View Larger Map
This is the first time we’ve captured a skyscraper on Street View—making Google Maps even more comprehensive and useful for you. The imagery was collected over three days using the Street View Trekker and Trolley, capturing high-resolution 360-degree panoramic imagery of several indoor and outdoor locations of the building.
Visit the highest occupied floor in the world on the 163rd floor, experience being in the fastest-moving elevators in the world (at 22 mph) and check out the highest swimming pool in the world on the 76th floor. In addition to the breathtaking views from the world’s tallest observation deck on the 124th floor, you can also see what it feels like to hang off one of the building’s maintenance units on the 80th floor, normally used for cleaning windows!
Explore more at the
Burj Khalifa Street View collection
.
The Arab world long has produced awe-inspiring monuments.
La Alhambra
, a World Heritage Site since 1984, is one of them. We recently brought the Google Trekker into Spain to start taking pictures in Granada. Pictures will be published in coming months. The trekker is a backpack of about 15 kg which has a camera system based on Android with 15 lenses and it’s specially used for reaching inaccessible places or those ones which are protected.
Even if you’re afraid of heights, or bored by most palaces, we hope you enjoy the view from the top or Dubai and the beauty of the Alhambra!
Posted by Tarek Abdalla, Head of Marketing - Middle East & North Africa, Google and Daniele Rizzetto, Operations Manager, Street View EMEA.
Expanding Google Business Photos in Europe
Friday, May 31, 2013
Want to show off appealing images of your business? We've just expanded Google Maps
Business Photos program
to six new European countries including:
Belgium
,
Czech Republic
,
Germany
,
Poland
,
Russia
, and
Switzerland
.
The Business Photos program enables merchants to create 360-degree, interactive tours of their establishments. This imagery allows potential customers to look inside and explore businesses before they go.
Bohema restaurant in Szczecin, Poland
Are you a business owner?
If you are a business owner in any of these locations, joining the program is easy.
Simply hire a Trusted Photographer or Agency
to take pictures. Using Street View technology, the photographer will create panoramic images from the photo shoot and upload them. These images will be available automatically to anyone who searches for your business on Google.com, Google Maps, Google Maps for Mobile and on your Google+ page or Places for Business listing. If a local photographer isn’t yet available in your neighborhood,
let us know
and we’ll do our best to find a photographer for you.
Fat Cow Restaurant in Singapore
Photographers can sign up...
Whether you’re a professional photographer or photography agency we’d love to have you on board! We are recruiting more Trusted Photographers and Agencies. Please visit our website for
Trusted Photographers
and
Trusted Agencies
to learn more and sign up.
Posted by Deborah Schenker, Program Manager, Google Business Photos
Celebrating the 50th country on Street View
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Whether you're planning a summer vacation to visit
the Colosseum
or exploring potential neighborhoods for your next move, Street View gives you instant access to the places you want to see -- even before you leave the house. We launched Street View
in 2007 in five U.S. cities
to give you what we called a “feet on the ground” experience and have since been growing the program to make it more comprehensive, accurate and useful for everyone.
Today, we’ve reached 50 countries with the launch of Street View in Hungary and Lesotho and are significantly expanding our coverage in Poland and Romania, among other locations around the world. This is also the
largest single update
of Street View imagery we’ve ever pushed, including new and updated imagery for nearly 350,000 miles of roads across 14 countries.
Now you can take a virtual stroll through the historic center of Budapest, right along the Danube (the river that carves the city in two). See the
Hungarian Parliament building
or the famous
Chain bridge
.
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Budapest, Lánchíd (Chain bridge)
Other Hungarian treasures to be discovered include the
Széchenyi thermal bath
, the largest medicinal bath in Europe, as well as the wonders of
Buda castle
.
Lesotho, an enclave surrounded by South Africa, is the only independent state that sits entirely 1,000m or more above sea level. Explore some of the mountainous imagery captured by our Street View cars, including
the winding roads
and
lakes
.
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Leribe District, Lesotho
Other sights include the
Lesotho Evangelical Church
, which is one of Africa's oldest Protestant churches, founded in 1833 by missionaries from Paris, and the
traditional architecture
in Nkesi, Maseru.
We’re also refreshing and expanding existing Street View coverage in France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore and Thailand. And, we’ve added new special collections of a host of picturesque spots—using our
Street View Trike
technology -- that include Portugal’s
Pena National Palace
, or the
Sha Tin Che Kung Temple
in Hong Kong or the
Kilkenny Castle in Irelan
d.
View Larger Map
Kilkenny Castle, Ireland
From the first handful of
U.S. cities
, to the now thousands of cities and villages worldwide, we’ve spent the past six years updating Google Maps for you. From
Antarctica
to
Australia
, from
South Korea
to
South Africa
, from the
snow-capped peaks of Everest
to the
Great Barrier Reef
, you can navigate more than 5 million miles of the world, without ever leaving home. So spin the globe and take a walk through any one of the 50 countries now on Street View.
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Program Manager, Google Street View
Expanding Street View in Europe
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Cross-posted with the Google Maps Blog
Today we’re announcing a major expansion of Street View to make our maps of Europe more comprehensive and usable. For the first time, people all over the world can see Street View imagery of Bulgaria. They’ll also have access to panoramas of almost 200 new towns and cities in Russia, and thousands of miles of refreshed imagery of the UK.
Bulgaria: from the mountains to the beaches
Nestled in the southeastern corner of Europe, Bulgaria is the 48th country for which immersive, street-level imagery is now available on Google Maps. This Bulgarian launch covers not only major economic centers such as
Sofia,
Plovdiv
and
Varn
a, but also historical and beloved towns like
Veliko Turnovo
and
Koprvishtitsa
.
Vizualizare hartă mărită
Nessebar is one of the most attractive tourist destinations on the Bulgarian seaside
Users around the world can also virtually experience the beautiful ski resorts of
Borovets
,
Bansko
and
Pamporovo,
and the stunning
Architectural and Museum Reserve Tsarevets
that sits on Tsarevets Hill in the old part of of Veliko Tarnovo. And of course, people can check out the
Black Sea coast line
, which is the heart of summer tourism in the country.
Vizualizare hartă mărită
The Architectural and Museum Reserve Tsarevets is a popular tourist site in Bulgaria
From Russia with love
Last February, the first Street View images of Moscow and Saint Petersburg – the major cultural and economic centers in Russia – became available on Google Maps. Now we’re thrilled to add Street View images of nearly 200 more Russian cities to Google Maps. Get familiar with
Sochi
, the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, or learn more about Buddhist culture by visiting the
Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni
, the largest Buddhist temple in the Republic of Kalmykia.
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni is a popular Russian Buddhist destination
Просмотреть увеличенную карту
Sochi: Enjoy the sea and the mountains in one place
Mind the Gap
In the UK we’re refreshing some imagery in major cities like London, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff, as well as filling in some of the gaps where we had no Street View coverage. For example, we’ve added brand new images to parts of the Scottish coastline, in pockets of East Anglia and parts of South Wales.
We hope this new and updated imagery makes it easier than ever to explore Europe, and we look forward to more additions in the future. And you can also check out Street View on your mobile device with the Google Maps app for
Android
and
iPhone
.
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Street View Program Manager
Discover Israel on Google Maps
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Last April
we released panoramic imagery of sites and streets in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv-Jaffa via the
Street View
feature of Google Maps. Since then, people from all over the world have explored historical and cultural sites such as the
Western Wall
in Jerusalem’s Old City, the
Baha’i Gardens
in Haifa and the
beaches
of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Today, as part of our ongoing effort to make Google Maps even more comprehensive and accurate, we’re publishing street-level imagery of hundreds more cities, towns, villages, heritage sites and tourist attractions across Israel.
You can now virtually tour the picturesque city of
Safed
in the North, the coral reef in
Eilat
in the South, visit the lowest point on earth at the
Dead Sea
, and wander around the narrow passageways of the old city of
Acre
.
Visit
Tiberias
, one of Judaism’s four holy cities; the
Sea of Galilee
where, according to the Gospels, Jesus walked on water; and stop off at
Capernaum
, the ancient fishing village believed to be the home of St. Peter, or the ancient battle site of
Tel Meggido
, better known as Armageddon.
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Capernaum, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
The ancient Nabataean cities of
Mamshit
and
Shivta
, both of them UNESCO world heritage sites, can also now be seen directly in Google Maps. Tour around the
Bet She’an National Park
, one of the world’s largest archaeological sites; the Crusader fortress overlooking the excavations at
Tzippori
; or the sandstone and copper-rich nature reserve at
Timna
. Enjoy the colorful Druze market town of Daliyat El Carmel, the Bedouin town of Rahat, or take a ride down the ‘Burma Road’, a makeshift bypass road to Jerusalem built in 1948.
View Larger Map
The 'Mushroom' red sandstone rock formation at Timna
Sports fans can even go inside
Ramat Gan Stadium
or
Bloomfield
. And museum lovers can take in Haifa’s
National Museum of Science, Technology & Space
, the Holocaust Museum at
Kibbutz Yad Mordechai
, the Ghetto Fighters Museum at
Kibbutz Lochamei Ha’getaot
, the
Museum of Bedouin Culture
in the Negev desert, or take a tour around the
Egged Bus Museum
.
We’ve added imagery from cities, towns and villages including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Bnei Brak, Eilat, Isfyia, Kfar Qasem, Kiryat Gat, Nazareth, Netanya, Ofakim, Petah Tikva, Rishon LeTsiyon, Sderot, Tira, and many, many more. And stay tuned - we hope to expand coverage to still more of the region’s sites, streets, cities and towns in the future.
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Street View Program Manager
The real Mountain View: on the piste with Street View
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
As the ski season approaches and you’re busy digging out your thermal underwear and snow boots, we hope to make your holiday preparations a little more enjoyable by adding some of the world’s favourite ski runs and resorts to Google Maps. Whether you’re looking to discover a piste you’ve never tried before, or just want to take in some of the breathtaking scenery to get in the mood for your trip, we hope you have fun exploring locations across Europe (including runs in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Spain), Canada (including runs at Blue Mountain, Lake Louise and Fernie) and the US (including runs in Utah and Michigan).
For example, take a look at
Sölden
, a popular ski resort in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. It’s not just tourists who flock there every year, but fans of professional skiing - Sölden regularly hosts the giant slalom competition as part of the Alpine World Cup in late October.
View Larger Map
Or virtually visit one of the iconic resorts in Switzerland like St. Moritz or Zermatt.
View Larger Map
Whenever we launch new imagery, our users start to develop creative and inspiring uses for the images. For example,
Skiline.cc
has integrated our snowy pictures into their web app which lets skiers virtually
recap their day
on the slopes.
Street View travels further north
Continuing the wintery theme, we’re introducing our first ever imagery in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago that lies about 400 miles north of mainland Europe - and the most northerly territory we’ve ever had on Street View. Svalbard was allegedly first discovered by Viking explorers in the 12th century, and now you can discover the beautiful tundras and harsh landscapes of the sparsely populated islands for yourself.
Svalbard is important today, hosting the
Svalbard Satellite station
, used by organisations like NASA and the ESA and the
Global Seed Vault
, a facility that provides spare samples of seeds found in gene banks all over the world.
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The ice roads
Finally, we’re also delighted to introduce some brand new imagery of the ice roads in Estonia, fashioned from the frozen waters of the Baltic Sea. Although these roads are only open when the weather permits and the ice is thick enough, we were lucky enough to capture the 10km ice road from Rohuküla to Sviby and the 3km stretch from Haapsalu to Noarootsi, among others.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Street View Program Manager
Explore historic sites with Google World Wonders
Thursday, May 31, 2012
A month ago, we announced a major expansion of our Google
Art Project
, which featured art from museums around the world. Today, we're taking another significant step forward in our goal to increase access to culture with the Google
World Wonders
Project.
The World Wonders Project goes outdoors to bring online icons from all times and places, and from all over civilizations all over the world. It features 132 historic sites in 18 countries, from prehistoric
Stonehenge
to Ancient Rome’s vanished
Pompeii
and the mystical wooden
Kyoto temples
. The sites are natural as well as man-made, ranging from the sandy dunes of Australia’s
Shark Bay
to the rocky cliffs of America’s
Yosemite National Park
.
The World Wonders Project is the latest creation of the Google
Cultural Institute
, opened in Paris last year. Under the institute’s auspices, we have launched a series of exciting initiatives, ranging from the publication of high resolution images of the
Dead Sea Scrolls
to the digitization the archives of famous figures such as
Nelson Mandela
. For the World Wonders Project, we’ve worked with a prestigious set of partners including
UNESCO
, the
World Monuments Fund
,
Getty Images
and
Ourplace
. The partners have supplied official information and photographs.
In order to create World Wonders, we took our
Street View
technology to a new level. Most of the these historic sites could not be filmed by car. We needed to use camera-carrying trikes and pedal our way close enough. Street View helps millions each day make travel plans or get a helping hand with geography homework. With World Wonders, Street View supports preserving and promoting some of the world’s most significant monuments for future generations.
Our launch event took place today in Madrid. We chose Spain because the country enjoys a particularly rich architectural heritage, including 12 Wonders’ sites. There’s the old cities of
Salamanca
,
Toledo
,
Cuenca
,
Santiago de Compostela
and
Córdoba
, the
Roman aqueduct in Segovia
and
Roman walls in Lugo
, and the
archeological dig in Tárraco
. The Wonders website is launching in Spanish, as well as English, French, Italian, Hebrew and Japanese. The World Wonders Project YouTube channel adds a video dimension.
By bringing these sites online, we’re aiming to encourage visitors to travel to these fabulous sites. Many museum curators involved in our Art Project report spikes in entries after viewing their collections on their computers.
This project provides significant educational benefits. A
section
on the site offers valuable resources for teachers in primary and secondary schools, which enable them to teach history and geography in innovative ways. Educational packages for classroom use can be downloaded free of charge from the World Wonders website.
When I was a child, flipping through encyclopedias while researching for school projects, the thought of exploring the world’s famous historic and cultural sites was a distant dream. Today that dream becomes a little closer for all of us.
Posted by Melanie Blaschke, Product Marketing Manager, World Wonders Project
Launching Street View in e-Estonia
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Estonia is an e-leader. The Baltic nation boasts one of the world’s highest broadband penetration rates and has carved out a pioneering role in promoting e-government and online freedom. About 94 per cent of tax returns last year were made online. Estonians
vote on their laptops
and sign legal documents on a smartphone. Cabinet meetings are paperless. It’s all quite impressive in a country where, only two decades ago population, it was difficult to obtain a phone line.
Most important, Estonians know firsthand about the need to keep networks open. The country suffered a massive cyberattack three years ago. Instead of imposing draconian plans to control the net, however, its reaction has been to embrace the Internet has become a symbol of progress and freedom.
For all these reasons, we take particular pleasure today to announce the launch of our popular Google Maps
Street View
feature in Estonia. From now on, anyone, anywhere, will, with the click of a computer mouse, be able to stroll in the cobbled medieval streets of of the capital Tallinn, the university town of Tartu, the colorful wooden houses of Pärnu. Or enjoy Estonia’s pristine nature, strolling down the sandy white beaches of the country’s Baltic coast, deep forests, picturesque lakes and rivers, mysterious swamps and rich flora and fauna.
Grotere kaart weergeven
Our users have told us that this ability to view a location as if they were actually there helps them find information about the places they live and visit. Street View permits us to preview holiday accommodation and look at nearby amenities such as parks, roads, bus stops, shopping areas and parking when planning your move. Can't remember the name of that amazing restaurant or clothes store you visited a few months ago? Walk the streets and find it. And then use the driving directions in Google Maps, with Street View images of intersections and landmarks, to get there.
Grotere kaart weergeven
Street View is educational. It encourages study of the geography, vegetation and landscape of different parts of the world. Teachers can incorporate Street View, Google Maps and Google Earth into geography or history lesson plans or arrange a virtual field trips. StreetView also promotes business, allowing potential customers to view your store or office, and find out how to get there.
We’re delighted to add Estonia to our Street View family and we look forward to working with Estonians as they pursue their bright e-future.
Posted by Simon Meehan, Senior Policy Analyst, Southern and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa
Street View comes to to the heart of the European Union
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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.
View Larger Map
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.
View Larger Map
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.
View Larger Map
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
Creating stronger privacy controls inside Google
Friday, October 22, 2010
(Cross-posted from the
Official Google Blog
)
In May we
announced
that we had mistakenly collected unencrypted WiFi payload data (information sent over networks) using our Street View cars. We work hard at Google to earn your trust, and we’re acutely aware that we failed badly here. So we’ve spent the past several months looking at how to strengthen our internal privacy and security practices, as well as talking to external regulators globally about possible improvements to our policies. Here’s a summary of the changes we’re now making.
First,
people
: we have appointed
Alma Whitten
as our director of privacy across both engineering and product management. Her focus will be to ensure that we build effective privacy controls into our products and internal practices. Alma is an internationally recognized expert in the computer science field of privacy and security. She has been our engineering lead on privacy for the last two years, and we will significantly increase the number of engineers and product managers working with her in this new role.
Second,
training
: All our employees already receive orientation training on Google’s
privacy principles
and are required to sign Google’s
Code of Conduct
, which includes sections on privacy and the protection of user data. However, to ensure we do an even better job, we’re enhancing our core training for engineers and other important groups (such as product management and legal) with a particular focus on the responsible collection, use and handling of data. In addition, starting in December, all our employees will also be required to undertake a new information security awareness program, which will include clear guidance on both security and privacy.
Third,
compliance
: While we’ve made important changes to our internal compliance procedures in the last few years, we need to make further changes to reflect the fact that we are now a larger company. So we’re adding a new process to our existing review system, in which every engineering project leader will be required to maintain a privacy design document for each initiative they are working on. This document will record how user data is handled and will be reviewed regularly by managers, as well as by an independent internal audit team.
We believe these changes will significantly improve our internal practices (though no system can of course entirely eliminate human error), and we look forward to seeing the innovative new security and privacy features that Alma and her team develop. That said, we’ll be constantly on the lookout for additional improvements to our procedures as Google grows, and as we branch out into new fields of computer science.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to update one point in my May blog post. When I wrote it, no one inside Google had analyzed in detail the data we had mistakenly collected, so we did not know for sure what the disks contained. Since then a number of external regulators have inspected the data as part of their investigations (seven of which have now been concluded). It’s clear from those inspections that while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords. We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and I would like to apologize again for the fact that we collected it in the first place. We are mortified by what happened, but confident that these changes to our processes and structure will significantly improve our internal privacy and security practices for the benefit of all our users.
Posted by Alan Eustace, Senior VP, Engineering & Research
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
Street View driving update
Friday, July 9, 2010
In May we
announced
that we had mistakenly included code in our software in Street View cars that collected WiFi payload data. As soon as we discovered our error, we not only stopped collecting WiFi data entirely, but also grounded our fleet of cars globally to give us time to remove the WiFi scanning equipment and discuss what had happened with local regulators.
The WiFi data collection equipment has been removed from our cars in each country and the independent security experts
Stroz Friedberg
have approved a protocol to ensure any WiFi-related software is also removed from the cars before they start driving again.*
Having spoken to the relevant regulators, we have decided to start Street View driving in Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Sweden again starting next week. We expect to add more countries in time. Our cars will no longer collect any WiFi information at all, but will continue to collect photos and 3D imagery as they did before:
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; 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
.
We recognize that serious mistakes were made in the collection of WiFi payload data, and we have worked to quickly rectify them. However we also believe that Street View is a great product for users, whether people want to find a hotel, check out a potential new home or find a restaurant. If you want more information about driving schedules, please look here
www.maps.google.com/streetview
.
Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Geo
*We've updated this paragraph to clarify that both the hardware and software will have been removed from all Street View vehicles before they resume driving.
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.
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