Switzerland Suing Google Over Street View

Switzerland is taking Google to court over privacy concerns related to Google’s Street View service. The BBC reports that Swiss privacy official Hanspeter Thuer is leading the country’s case.

Mr Thuer is especially concerned about people shown in sensitive locations such as hospitals, prisons or schools.

He also said that the height of the camera was problematic because it allowed a view over fences, hedges and walls, meaning that more could be seen from Street View than by a normal passer-by.

Google reps and Thuer met back in August shortly after Street View launched in that country, and Thuer demanded then that Google “immediately withdraw its online service Google Street View concerning Switzerland.” Thuer says Google has not complied with Switzerland’s demands.

The BBC quotes a Google official as saying the company will “vigorously contest” the lawsuit.

For more on Google’s similar, ongoing legal battles around the world, see our Google: Street View archives.