Google Street View is now alive and well in Germany, after much negotiation and blurring of images in the first visible municipality on Street View in Germany, Oberstaufen in Bavaria.
After some politicians and privacy campaigners opposed Street View in Germany, Google allowed residents to “remove” their homes from Street View. Last month, Google announced that nearly a quarter of a million citizens had opted out of the service, meaning, images of their homes on Street View would be blurred out.
The result is not only blurred faces or licence plate numbers as a move to protect privacy, but entire houses blurred, as well, on Street View in Germany.
Street View, which is now available in about 20 countries, allows users to check out towns and cities at street level, using photos taken by specially-equipped vehicles.
Google plans to roll out Street View for Germany’s 20 largest cities later this year, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg.
