"GOOGLE STREET VIEW" - FIGHTING PRIVACY ISSUES

1. Ever heard of google's street view application...m sure many of you must have...for those who have not heard of it...in brief it refers to a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provisions isometric views from various positions along many streets in the world. Launched on May 25, 2007 the application displays images taken from a fleet of specially adapted cars. Areas not accessible by car are sometimes covered by Google tricycles. On each of these vehicles there are nine directional cameras for 360° views at a height of about 2.5 meters, GPS units for positioning and three laser range scanners for the measuring of up to 50 meters 180° in the front of the vehicle. There are also 3G/GSM/Wi-Fi antennas for scanning 3G/GSM and Wi-Fi hotspots.

2. No about the fighting issue that i have reffered in the subject topic.Now whether it is a facility for the world base users to utilize viewing live views of streets world vide or it is an attempt to log in to the private data of the users across.....yess...I repeat it is the private data of the users avaiable from the open WiFi signals from their home computers and laptops.The intresting thing is that Google has accepted this collection of data from unencrypted wireless networks....and they have put the blame on a masoom software engineer.Google says the massive furore over Wifi snooping by Street View cars was all the fault of one software engineer.In an interview ,CEO Eric Schmidt said the whole affair came about because a software engineer inserted unauthorised code into the Street View system software. The man is now under investigation internally by the company as per posts on google blog.

3. Now what ever answer that google may come up with in form a mistake or simply putting the blame on that software engineer(...where was the Software Testing deptt and QC then otherwise?),the point that I intend putting accross is that just take care of envryting your WiFi router.Google has at least accepted the fact and mistake and they are taking measures to rectify it...but it will not be always like that.....there are so many mis adventurists present all around that looking around that unencrypted wireless networks for misuse.....just read this post again to avoid becoming a target like others.

4. Thanks http://tech.blorge.com & http://en.wikipedia.org/

IT ostracized!!!!!

1.         Few days back a petition was filed at the Bombay High Court calling for a ban on Google Earth citing that terrorists used this mapping service to plan attacks on key emplacements in Mumbai, on 26/11. It reminded me of a similar instance of army wherein few years back Pen Drives were banned following some breach of security information.

2.         “ Mindset” comes as the key to such pudden-head and dullard bans. Such Mindset is linked to the low IQ and literacy level of such decision seekers. I have also read articles wherein similar bans were asked for WiFi connectivity at various places.Now moving on these lines I have a few sample bans which should also be taken care of to eliminate security breach:

a.         Why not ban manufacturing Vehicles in which the terrorists or the offender moved from the source          location to the destination location quickly?

b.         Why not ban mobile phones across India so that they cannot plan further?

c.         Why not ban manufacturing or accessing computers in this country owing to which all this is taking place?

d.         Why not ban manufacturing Guns/Rifles and ammunition?

e.         Why not simply ban INTERNET in India?

3.         So why just pendrives or google earth? It is indeed staggering the way decisions are being made and sought in this country. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if access to Google Earth is banned in this region in some time.

4.         What we actually need is to find a way out to tackle these…elimination is not the solution.

5.         The IT quotient of aam aadmi (which indeed hold the majority) needs to actually improve before it gets too late.Be it the defence or the civil.Till the time the defence General saab knows what can be more lethal then pen drive,till the time judge saab of the court knows what power IT holds today…what decision will he be able to make?However big they may be in terms of respectable positions and appointments,they would still form the TAO group(harayana wala) who still believe ke bhayaa ye computer shamputer kuch na karkey dega…karna sabko khud padega…………!!!!!!!