Journal 8

Google Spy: Zooming In On Neighbors, Nose-Pickers, And Sunbathers with Street View, By Michael Agger

Well, Google is always innovative, especially with this new controversial feature, Google Street View. Google has taken cameras and placed them in several major cities including, New York, Chicago and San Francisco which allow internet user to see everything from z intended street signs to unintentional views, like a man urinating under a speed limit sign. This is where the controversy is uprising. Evidently, the cameras have such a powerful zoom that users can zoom into people’s apartments and see objects as small as a house cat. However, this is not the only issue. There have been shots taken of underpasses, which since 9/11, have become of limits due to security purposes. Google Street View was recently launched, so it will be interesting to see what comes out of all the hype, and if security threats or privacy issues will stop them from running this feature.

1. My first question is, what would my students think of Google putting a camera on their street corner or in front of their house? I know most of them wouldn’t be too happy to have the world watching them, especially if they lived in a highly Googled area like, Rockefeller Center. On the other hand, some of my students would like the attention of being seen on camera.

2. My second question is, I wonder what my students would think if my school district decided to put cameras into the classroom to constantly monitor their behavior? I know they wouldn’t like it but they way things are going, I don’t see that it’s too much of a leap in reasoning to see administrators placing cameras in the class.