I’ll be the first to say that I think Google Maps “street view” is pretty cool. I’ve been to practically all the major US cities from my studio apartment. How cool is that? Only wish I could use it on my BlackJack II as demonstrated in the Android video posted below. Anyways, last night I re-read a speech given by Neil Postman and it got me thinking. Where does the power lay in the Internet-age? Many of us, myself included, tend to hail the benefits of technology while turning a blind-eye to the dangers. Postman appropriately states that technological innovation is something of a Faustian bargain: there will always be trade-offs, both good and bad. And sometimes, they are just bad.

I read an article about a couple suing Google because they feel street view invades their privacy. Whether or not you agree with them isn’t really the point. The article does, however, raise a few important issues. One of these is the future of privacy issues in a time when everyone can know everything about everyone else, but I’m going to save that for a later post. Another is the potential for this technology to become an always on panopticon (I borrowed this from Howard Rheingold’s book, Smart Mobs). The crucial question is who gains the most from street view. As of now, it is limited to the US. However, in the article it states that Google plans to take the service worldwide. In what ways will a worldwide street view empower us as ordinary citizens? I’m not necessarily alluding to an Orwellian state of affairs here, since “we” can keep an eye on “them” just as much as vice versa. But I think the question is legitimate. You may have seen the infamous street view photo of the man seemingly headed for the novelty shop, or the dude taking a leak in an alley. Who can do what with this information? And also, how do we behave when we are aware that perhaps at anytime (in a big US city atleast) we might be photographed then subsequently loaded on someone’s browser without our knowledge. I’d love to hear your views on this. How do you feel street view empowers ordinary citizens?

In the mean time, watch out for Google’s street view vehicle!