Google begins blurring faces in Street View

Google Street View now blurs some faces in Manhattan.

(Credit: Google)

BURLINGAME, Calif.--Google has begun testing face-blurring technology for its Street View service, responding to privacy concerns from the search giant's all-seeing digital camera eye.

The technology uses a computer algorithm to scour Google's image database for faces, then blurs them, said John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Google Maps, in an interview at the Where 2.0 conference here.

Google has begun testing the technology in Manhattan, the company announced on its LatLong blog. Ultimately, though, Hanke expects it to be used more broadly.

Dealing with privacy--both legal requirements and social norms--is hard but necessary, Hanke said.

"It's a legitimate issue," he said. He likened the issues some have with Street View to the ones that took place when Google introduced aerial views to Google Maps. It took time for the public, regulators, and Google to get comfortable with the feature, but, "It needs that debate. We see that and try to let it play out."

John Hanke, head of Google Maps and Google Earth, speaks at the Where 2.0 conference in Burlingame, Calif.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News.com)

New jurisdictions, new rules
Street View poses other privacy issues besides just faces. Some people aren't eager to have their houses on display, for example. But much of the hubbub seems to have waned since Google launched Street View in May 2007, and indeed other companies such as Blue Dasher are working on similar technology.

Street View presents a view of dozens of United States cities from a driver's perspective (unless a plastic bag is stuck over the Street View camera). It appears Google has begun collecting imagery in Europe as well, along with detailed 3D maps, including Milan, Rome, and Paris.

A Pittsburg couple sued Google for allegedly photographing images on a private drive in April, but it's legal to take photos from public streets in the United States. However, standards vary.

"A just balance needs to be found between what can be publicized, in deference to the principles of freedom of expression and of information, and what has to be safeguarded from excessive public curiosity, so as to avoid infringing the individual's right to privacy and right to his or her picture," the French embassy observes.

Years of research
The face-blurring technology took a year to develop and is based on prior research that took several more years, Hanke said.

Face detection, which humans perform effortlessly with help from some dedicated neurons in the visual cortex, is a decades-old computer science problem. It's finally arriving in basic form in real-world applications, though, including digital cameras that use it to track and properly expose subjects or take a picture only when subjects are smiling.

There are some potential complications for Google Street View, though. False positives that blur billboards or works of art with faces could degrade Street View a bit, but missing some faces that are visible could pose privacy problems.

Google thinks its technology has struck the right technology balance in general.

"It does a good job of figuring that out. It uses a variety of technologies to filter," Hanke said, though it's "not perfect."

Many times computer algorithms struggle to recognize faces that aren't straightforward views. But that problem isn't as bad for Google: the faces that are obscured by hair, telephone poles, or oblique views are likely the ones identifiable already.

Have you found any examples of faces the algorithm missed or that it should have caught? Share the links or other thoughts in the comments section below.

[fokkwp]

They should add some additional algorithms to handle instances when a street person drops trow to take care of business.

[paulej]

Hey! I know that guy with the fast food! Just kidding.

Why do people care that they're on the Internet like this? After all, everyobdy else walking down the street saw them in person! It seems pointless, really.

I'd like to hear from those who are featured on Street View who are either a) upset that they've been blurred or b) upset that they appeared there and why they are upset.

[tossedegg]

OK, I have not been spotted, yet. But there may be people across the country, by whom I do not want to be found. People in the city where I reside and work don't scare me, but there are one or two elsewhere in the country, who just might. I'm sure this isn't difficult to understand, and there are plenty of perfectly valid and legal reasons for this. I would guess that often, someone wishing not to be found, is on the legal end of a bad situation.

[nsupp]

I don't understand what the problem is... it isn't like your name or personal information is included with your picture. No one will have any idea who you are. It makes these photos look kind of stupid now.

[Gwen1111]

I can understand both sides of the argument. I can understand how some many see it as silly that others feel their privacy is violated, because obviously someone can be on the street that they are as a stranger and see the same thing. However, even in New York City, people's habits tend to be routine, so you could see the same guy walking with his burger and shake every day. And then, if you were brash enough, you could make a blog about photos of people who routinely show up every day eating fast food. And refer to them as "blue shirt guy." And everyone in the company that man works for knows "blue shirt guy." So he is exposed. OK. Probably won't happen. But the legal system is based on the "what ifs" in life, not actual life.

[grandstreets]

Grandstreets has a different kind of street view, assembling entire streets into a single panorama. It's unique and makes for easy browsing. Try it at
http://www.grandstreets.com