Photo by Maulbagi

Google doesn’t bow to many people, but the internet becometh is allowing Germans to opt out of Google Street View until September 15. The decision came about as a result of the public’s privacy complaints and a subsequent agreement with the German government.

But, surprisingly, Berlin-based IT consultant Jens Best has decided to take matters into his own hands. Along with a group of 400 volunteers, Best plans to take photos of all the blurred locations and upload them anyway (using the user-generated option). Best doesn’t care if people hate him, he just wants the service to reflect reality, which is that anyone can walk down the street and see the houses, so what’s the difference?

“I’m not taking photos of the living room,” Best said. “I’m not taking photos of your face. I am taking photos in the public sphere.”

Of course Best doesn’t like that a few German cities have even asked Google not to include photos of “fire stations, schools and court houses.” (Which, as we well know, is incredibly short-sighted. Terrorists don’t need photos on Google Street View to plan attacks.)

It’s an interesting stance, for sure; Best is like a one-man crusader for public information. To see Best’s web site for his project, go here.

Article from Reuters