Google will start its controversial Street View service with its navigable 360-degree photo maps in 20 cities in Germany this year, the Californian company has announced. This service integrated into Google Maps will give users the opportunity to explore cities virtually, to retrieve local directions, to find a new apartment, house or property, or to check the maps and photos for vacation planning. At the beginning, Google Street will be available in Germany for these cities: Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfort/Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Wuppertal. But unlike in the United States and in 22 other countries around the world, some people in Germany see Street View as an interference with their privacy in an unacceptable way. Some do also think that Google Street View with its detailed street level maps may have potential applications for thieves or terrorists. The strange thing is: According to Google, Germans have already become loyal users of the Street View service.

My own personal street view, Picture: Phone Guide Germany

The Google Street View service is controversial in Germany because of privacy issues. For historical reasons the protection of personal data is a very sensitive issue in Germany. Therefore, Google has started a registration process for critical or sceptical residents in Germany who do not want pictures of their homes popping up on the Internet without their control and because of that wish to have their houses or property blurred out. German Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner is offering a form to for renters or owners for objecting to Google showing his or her home via Street View at the ministry’s website. Applicants can also visit a special Google web page and submit their request. The deadline for submitting requests before the launch of Googe Street View has been set to September 14th for online abjections and to September 21st for objections sent by letter. Faces and license plat numbers are automatically blurred.

In Germany criticism of Google Street View could be heard early on, it started when the first Google workers were driving through the streets in specially equipped cars and photographed the houses and buildings. But even though there is also considerable political opposition to the Google Street View service and Google officials have discussed the citizens’ concerns for months with authorities, many German politicians were caught off-guard by the Google announcement as they are on holiday right now. Only now the German government is thinking about a new law on data protection.

One of the questions is: Why is Google so insistent on bringing its Street View service to Germany and other countries? The answer is: Google Street View increases traffic of Google Maps and more page views means more trunover for a company earning money through advertising such as Google. Thus, with Street View Google just pursues financial interests. Some of the fears of Google critics may seem exaggerated or may not fit into modern times and into an interlinked world. On the other hand, it is also only fair that citizens can decide on their own who knows what of their lives.

What bothers me is – after having begun scanning books without prior settlement with authors and publishing houses – the repeated fait accompli of Google. It shouldn’t be the users, the consumers or the citizens who have to act in order not to be taken advantage of by Google. I am also still asking myself: What is the benefit of Google Street View for the user? Google Maps without Street View is sufficient for finding local directions and many of the pictures in Google Street View are not up to date.