Jeff Jarvis on How Google Makes the Germans Go Bonkers

I remember, several years ago, noticing that the White House had been pixellated out of Google Maps. Later that day, I used a rest-stop bathroom near Washington, DC... and noticed, above the urinal, an enormous aerial view of the White House.

Also, I'm living in Japan right now, and there's an elementary school on the next block. I noticed that there's no Street View on any of the streets encircling the school. Why?

first this isnt about google the german public has seen theire private information being collected and send through algorithms in attempts to harvest behavioural data leeding to many scandals over the last years. It is now start to begin to develop a consciousness about the change that the informational age will truly have impact to the relations on human interaction in the 21st century and it is thus they want to have a debate about to determine the pro´s and con´s and to be able to setup institutionalized rules for government and corporations alike to determine a balance and safeguard human dignity.

then this is about google streetview represented the german public with theyre first real chance to express theyre desire for thorough intellectual investigation regarding the future treatment and development of theyre right to privacy - originating from the german constitution - originating from the equality and quality of dignity – Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar The Right of every german citizen to determine pictures of her- or himself public or not is a strong safeguard of the real enforcement of oneselfs privacy. In this case google streetview just happens to have ignited a spark that allowed many who could not express theyre desire nor give rational of theyre feelings a flank to project exactly those desires. Special Interest Groups represented e.g. through Springer/Bild, AdvertisePrint, politians… used this “opportunity” to exaggerate themselves. Google may not take this easy! The acceptance of humans expressing theyre will to not take part in something many others do is on the very essence of democratic societies – the protection of minorities Google may be best adviced to not take the streetview issue as utterly important but just if they realise that there are societies that will not allow theyre freedom and dignity to be washed out by the slow streams of magnitudial change – but want them to grow with it.