GOOGLE MAPS AND INDIA

A project by Google Inc to systematically take pictures of streets in important cities all over the world now covers 27 countries, but not India, as yet. Its maiden attempt to roll cameras in Bangalore was stopped by the police soon after vehicles mounted with cameras were launched on the streets. The stated reasons are privacy and national security.

Google launched its Street View project in the US in 2007. While its users swear by the detail that is now widely available to them, many controversies have arisen over privacy and other concerns, including Google picking up passwords and personal data from unprotected Wi-Fi networks in the UK. Google itself declared that it had captured the data accidentally, apologised and purged the data from its systems. In response to various concerns, Google now blurs the faces of people and licence plates of cars and responds promptly to any request to remove private information by anyone effected by it.
Google maps have become a useful navigational aid for millions of people, and have found widespread usage with those individuals who have smart phones. There is no doubt that the Street View feature enhances the experience of those who have access to it. In India, we often have antiquated cartographic concerns —pictures of bridges etc. are banned because of ‘strategic reasons’, that too in a time when everything is visible through satellites. The police in Bangalore should make clear what their concerns are, and Google should respond constructively. While masking out anything of strategic importance, they should make data on the city available over the Internet. Indeed, this experiment should also be replicated in other cities of India, so that the world at large can experience incredible India through the panoramic view provided by Google and others of its ilk.