The aerial battle for 3D online maps supremacy has just begun between Google and Apple, and their cartographic throwdown is not going unnoticed amongst politicians and privacy advocates, who fear the increasingly sophisticated technology used to capture aerial images is also greatly raising the risks of privacy invasions.
Both tech giants are currently in the process of expanding their collection of 3D maps, doing so courtesy of planes that Senator Charles Schumer states are the equivalent of 'military spy planes', with multiple advanced, high-resolution cameras, and in Apple's case, technology that was developed to help guide missile strikes.
Representatives from Schumer's office met with Google executives on Monday to discuss the Senator's concerns over what he calls 'an unprecedented invasion of privacy' through the use of '...military-grade spy planes with enough precision to see through windows, catch detailed images of private backyard activities, and record images as small as four inches.'
For their part, Google stated their images are not sharp enough to even require blurring, and that they do take privacy concerns very seriously. Given their dubious track record though, most notably the furor they caused when it was discovered their Street View vehicles were collecting personal data from private home networks, including passwords, there's reason to be skeptical of their claims.
Apple on the other hand said they create optimized shots using multiple images captured from various angles, and that they remove all moving parts such as vehicles and people from the final image in the process of doing so.
The Senator's office also plans to contact other companies that may be developing similar technology, including Microsoft, to express their concerns to them as well.
Do you have any concerns over your backyard being imaged in high resolution and put on display for the world to see? Or is it all for the greater good of having stylish 3D maps for all of us to enjoy? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
