In any event, why would I be so critical of Google when I am genuinely in awe of their technical prowess and use their service many times each day? It really comes from my serious concern regarding the protection of one’s personal privacy and the national security, both of which Google appears to have trampled in its pursuit of world information dominance. I was very uncomfortable with the implications of “Google hacking” and became increasingly disturbed with the advent of satellite photographs of every square-inch of the Earth and particularly with the intrusive nature of Street View. Can nothing be hidden? From our homes, to nuclear plants, to military installations … all of these can be viewed aerially and many from street level. Is this Google’s gift to our enemies? You might say that it balances out, because we can see their installations also. But we may not have the evil intentions of others. And those with a need to know usually have access to this information anyway.
I do see the value in drawn maps and being able to get locations and directions. That information has, after all, been available for centuries, with sensitive locations judiciously blanked out. In this area, Google is merely facilitating something that we have already been doing for many years. But the generally availability of satellite photographs is materially different. There is no judgment as to what such information might do if it falls into “the wrong hands.” There is no judgment as to what might be sensitive and should be protected for personal and national security reasons. Is this just dumb or is it mischievous? Whichever it is, it should not stand. Of course, now that it is out there, it has been viewed and stored so many times, so that it is now impossible to put that information genie back in the bottle. Perhaps Google, with its vast wealth, should pay for the relocation and camouflaging of sensitive facilities and the properties of anyone who feels threatened by having aerial views of their property revealed. I see that as the only remedy for assuaging the harm already done. And what about Street View? Same thing, same remedy.
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> As we all know, Google’s motto is (was?) “Do no harm”
We don’t all know that, because Google’s motto is (and was) “Don’t be evil” (see http://investor.google.com/conduct.html) which is not the same thing.