Yes, I'll keep them very brief
This is a new and, I believe, exciting technology. It's also a controversial one. So to ensure that Google and Canpages, the two leading providers of street-level surveillance, are in compliance with PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and that the privacy concerns of Canadians are protected, I believe that a discussion on this matter is now warranted.
For background, Google recently sparked a new discussion about privacy laws with the announcement that it had already begun photographing Canadian cities for its 3D online mapping service, Street View. The company's vehicles travel throughout major Canadian cities with their 360° cameras, recording images for curious websurfers to view around the world. Companies like Canpages are attempting to provide a similar service.
The Privacy Commissioner has raised concerns specifically relating to the technology. In an August 2007 open letter to Google, and restated in a fact sheet that was circulated to some members of this committee, the Privacy Commissioner has raised questions about this 3D online mapping service and whether or not it is in compliance with PIPEDA.
The commissioner has refused to render a final judgment. As of this week, there is no final judgment on whether or not it's permitted, and there will be no judgment until there is a complaint for her to consider. And that won't happen until the service is online with Canadian images on it. Unfortunately, by then it might be too late. We think it would be profitable for the country to have this discussion before committee prior to any conflicts.
There have been concerns raised around the world. There have been the frivolous concerns, where men in Speedos have claimed that their images on the Internet have been horrifying people around the world. And there have been more serious ones, where people who run homeless shelters have been concerned that pictures of the people who use their services might be put on the Internet and their privacy might be jeopardized, that women's shelters might be on the Internet and the people who stay at those shelters might be identified. There was one argument made by a California legislator who suggested a link between a similar Google technology that he claimed was used by terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
Subsequently the BBC has reported that Privacy International has requested the ICO temporarily shut down Google Street View, alleging the application has caused clear embarrassment and damage to many Britons. There was one town in England that physically blocked the Street View car from coming into the town by the people locking their arms on the street.
So there's a lot of discussion. I think some of the discussion has been a little hyperbolic, and I think there has been some exaggeration of the dangers of this technology. But at the same time, there are also legitimate concerns about where the images will be stored, whether we want millions of images of Canadians to be kept in one place, what blurring will be done, whether the blurring will not only be for the Internet but also for the records of Google, and whether all the laws will be respected as this is carried out.
I think we have an interesting discussion here and a lot to offer from the expertise of this committee. So without further ado, I move my motion.
Thank you.
