French Law Bars Google Voyeurs

“Two Google employees were spotted on the Western outskirts of Paris on Friday as they mounted a sophisticated array of cameras and laser scanners on the roof rack of their black Opel Astra. The equipment was connected to a Dell computer visible inside the car. Although the vehicle was unmarked, the driver and passenger said they worked for Google…[.]” However, because Google wants to offer global access via its Street View Program of Parisians in their scarves sipping lattés and reading their Derrida, Google will be forced to think about local laws and culture.

“In France, citizens have a right to their own image (droit à l’image): pictures identifying them as they go about their private business may not be published without their permission. That could put the brakes on Google’s … Street View in France, unless the camera-cars are accompanied by an army of clipboard-wielding legal assistants asking bystanders to sign release forms [.]”

More on this at the The Industry Standard.