Well, well, well, what do we have here, Google Street View! For those who have no idea of what Google Street View is, it is like a search engine specified for looking up addresses up on the application. This new technology does not only display the addresses the users would want to look for, it also provides a navigator and a zoom button. Users can drag the navigator around the map to adjust to the building they are viewing; with it, you can drag upward, downward, and sideways, basically, you can drag it in any direction you like! The zoom button, it allows users to get into a closer view or to zoom out for a wider view of the building.
With a navigator and a zoom button, users may be able to do many things with it such as searching up a friend’s address to visit them or a customer’s house to deliver a package. As always, technology can benefit us and endanger us in some way. The some of the many advantages of Google Street View includes checking out the area to make sure you know your directions and to see how the building looks like so it will be easier to spot. Disadvantages of the application would be too revealing and dangerous for many families. Many families fear that the new technology will be another method of creating crimes or illegal subjects. By using the navigator and zoom button, one can navigator around a building to look for any windows or traps so it’ll be easier for them to break in.
I could say, I’m quite disappointed, but at the same time, amazed by this new technology. When I went on Google Street View to search up my address, it surprised me to see that my whole block has been messed up. When I say messed up, I mean that the houses did not match with the addresses, so it took me about 20 minutes to find my house after navigating around the block over a dozen times.
Although I didn’t see myself or anyone I know on Google Street View, I still think that it is violating the privacy of others by taking photos of their houses and “endangering” them. When Google said that they are still protecting us by blurring out the faces and licence plates, I personally don’t think it will stop many of our eyes from recognizing ourselves or friends if we know the person or not. It is like walking down the halls of Mary Ward and seeing the back of a friend’s head, we still know who it is by the way she/he walks and looks from the behind. If we really know who the person is and study them closely, it doesn’t really help much just to blur out the faces of the person. Also, blurring license plates is like blurring out faces, just because we can’t see the numbers and letters on the plate, it doesn’t mean we don’t know whose car it is. For example, when I wait outside to get a ride from my parents, I can easily spot their car just by the colour, shape, and the brand; there is no need for me to try to focus on the license plates on the cars to see if it’s my ride or not.
But Google Street View isn’t all about problems and mistakes, there are still many bright sides to this application. Two of the many other benefits include: it is a useful tool for those who need directions and the images of their designated area and it is a relief for those who feels more comfortable having their faces and license plates blurred out because of privacy or embarrassing moments.
(Above: a photo Google Street View caught of a man proposing to someone.)
