Canada’s privacy commissioner has sent a letter to Google asking questions about its new Street View application, which captures street-level images — including images of clearly identifiable privacy advocates.Street views aren’t yet available for places in Canada, but in her letter Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart points out that the application, if and when it does include Canadian images, could violate Canada’s 2004 Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/09/do-google-stree.html
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201806012
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/09/13/1189276858785.html
Canadian Privacy Commissioner Seeks Information about Street Level Photography Available Online [news release]
While satellite and aerial photo images have been available for many years, it is only recently that technology has allowed for this imagery to be shared freely over the internet. Today, these images are available from a number of government organizations and private corporations.
http://privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/an_070911_e.asp