The fascinating and controversial Google Street is now available in Canada.
Do you want to take a virtual walk along the Ottawa River? It is now possible to do so using Google Maps which shows high resolution images of streets. You can walk downthe streets as if you were there!
In Canada, the online application is available in the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver and nearby suburbs. Vehicles with panoramic cameras traveled through the streets of major cities in Canada.
Currently, cars Google collects the images in more than one hundred Canadian cities. In Quebec, according to a list posted on on Google Maps, the application will eventually be available in Alma, Baie-Saint-Paul, Beauceville, Cowansville, Gaspe, La Baie, Malartic, Montreal, Plessisville, Rimouski, Sainte-Marie, Saint-Prosper, Sherbrooke, Thetford Mines, Waterloo and several small towns or villages.
Controversy At its inception in 2007, Street View has raised many criticisms of users who had found the images disturbing. California had a particular complaint that Google's cameras were filmed inside his house and even showed a cat. Others complained that Google had taken pictures on a private road without permission.
Although Google Street View is causing a controversy over the protection of privacy. Any image captured when the vehicle takes images becomes accessible to all. It was easy to recognize faces or license plates. However, Google has adopted a policy designed to blur faces and plates to comply with Canadian law.
Last April, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, had asked Google to go beyond the mere blur. The Commissioner asked the search giant to warn residents of cities covered by the service exactly when the "Google Car" would shoot them. The Committee suggested using a variety of ways to warn people, including regional media and websites to inform the public.
Google refused to comply with this request, merely to indicate just which cities would be the upcoming recordings.
