Google Banned From the Street (View) In Switzerland

In a blow to voyeurs everywhere, Switzerland’s official data protection agency has ordered search giant Google to disable its Street View service just days after it became available in that nation.

InformationWeek reports:

Hans-Peter Thur, Switzerland’s federal data protection and information commissioner (FDPIC), issued a statement on Friday calling for Google (NSDQ: GOOG) to immediately remove the Street View feature in Google maps because it fails to sufficiently blur faces and license plates.

Hmm. Given that Thur’s statement came just three days after Street View went live in Switzerland, you have to wonder if the ban was fueled by concerns beyond people’s faces and license plates. Indeed, just weeks after Street View was launched in May 2007, WebUrbanist reported the service:

…already (had) captured people in a number of compromising situations, from scantily-clad sunbathers and unfortunate individuals going into and out of sex stores to apparent home break-ins.

Google officials expressed surprise at the ban, claiming they had been in “constructive dialogue” with the Swiss information commissioner. Discussions continued today as Google lobbied to have the ban reversed.

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