Want off Google Street View? Google Wants Your ID and A Sworn Statement
Seems that Google isn’t going to make it easy for you to remove images from their ‘Street View’ product.
If you send a request to remove an image Google will send you this automated “Dear John” letter that seems to ask you for everything but a DNA sample.
To request removal of your image from Street View, you must demonstrate that you are the person shown in the panorama you would like removed. We will not take action if you are reporting on behalf of someone else (such as a friend, relative or stranger), except that you may report on behalf of your minor child. To show that you are the person in the image you would like removed, you must provide us with the information specified below. To expedite our ability to process your request, please use the following format on your verification form:
‘ 1. Provide your legal name.
‘ 2. Provide your e-mail address.
‘ 3. Provide the street view address of the Street View image you would like removed.
‘ 4. Include the sworn statement: ‘I declare, under penalty of
perjury, that the information in this notification is accurate.’‘ 5. Attach a clear, readable copy of a valid photo ID (e.g. driver’s license, national ID card, etc). If you are requesting removal of an image of a location, attach a copy of a document demonstrating your association with that location ( e.g. business card or letterhead).
‘ 6. Please e-mail your completed verification form, along with the necessary attachment, to maps-legal@google.com within 5 days. If you are unable to upload a copy of your photo ID electronically in an e-mail, you may also fax us a copy of your form and photo ID to (650) 887-0389.
We will temporarily remove the Street View image pending receipt of your ID verification. If we have not received a copy of your photo ID within 5 days, then we will restore the panorama back to Street View. Please note that we will investigate your complaint and take action as needed. We will not contact you unless we need more information to review your request. If you see that the panorama was not removed from Street View, it is likely that it did not meet our conditions for permanent removal.
Regards,
The Google Team
Google…. Doing less evil everyday!
This is good. Because then the paranoid weirdos can get themselves removed. But most people won’t take the time, so we actually have street view data. Instead of a bunch of hole bs.
Dan…Posting more nonsense every day!
I’m an avid amateur photographer, and if I want to publish a photo with people in it, I need to get a model release. Ever notice how car license plates are blurred by the news — its for privacy purposes. Why should Google have carte blanche to do something I can’t?
The good news is the actual panoramas don’t seem to be nearly as clear as their demo video and I can’t read the signs, etc. on many of them.
Goggle shouldn’t have carte blanche and legally speaking they probably don’t. They can say whatever the hell they want, but that doesn’t mean that they are in the legal right. Something tells me all it would take is a lawsuit to shut down that operation, for better or for worse. I see where they’re coming from, wanting to have a bunch of data, but the truth is that it’d probably be a lot nicer – and a lot more legal – if they just blurred out the faces instead.