Google Street View faces Switzerland in court
Updated on 13 November 2009
Switzerland takes Google to court over it's road mapping system Street View as it says it breaches the country's privacy laws.
The Street View application allows a 360 degree view of mapped areas. Filmed by a special camera mounted on Google's fleet of Street View cars, the application is already live in the US and UK.
The British version aired in March after Google promised to blur car number plates and faces that appear in the images.
After launching the Swiss version Google now finds itself with a court order, being accused of breaching data protection laws.
The Swiss government believes that despite a number of complaints to the web giant some number plates and faces are still not sufficiently unrecognisable.
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, Hanspeter Thuer, said in a statement that he was taking the case to the Federal Administrative Tribunal after Google had refused to apply the majority of measures he had recommended.
Thuer also raised concerns about the height of the Street View camera saying that it captured images over fences, hedges and into private property. It has, "the result that people see more on Street View than can been seen by a normal passer-by in the street," he said.
Court action is now being taken after the a failed attempt to remove the service while privacy changes were made.
Google said it was disappointed by the move. It believes it is not breaking any law and will contest the accusation.
