The days of anonymity are long gone, replaced by a constant level of latent surveillance. The creepy isn’t going to go away, so we may as well embrace it, right? Google has recently implemented a new feature in their Maps program that provides users with a street level view, creatively dubbed “Street View.” The service utilizes a series of pictures taken from several custom 11-lens cameras that exist as part of an extensive infrastructure provided by Immersive Media. These cameras are capable of taking smooth, high-res moving images. Street View only appears to be live in major municipal areas at the moment, but we wouldn’t be surprised if these things started to pop up just about everywhere. As exciting as this is, it raises certain ethical questions. Is Google logging/recording the video and image feeds that they’re gleaning from these cams? If so, what measures are being taken to ensure that the privacy of the general public is well protected? Those concerns aside, this is pretty damn neat.
[Via O’Reilly]
