Garrett Langley, chief executive of Flock Safety, a company whose automated licence plate reader cameras track vehicle movements across thousands of American communities, is now the subject of a different kind of online scrutiny. Internet users reportedly flagged his property as a public toilet on Google Maps.
It all started when Langley stepped into the public debate during an appearance on Fox News, where he argued that people who focus on privacy or safety alone are ‘prioritising the wrong thing’. The comments drew backlash on social media and online forums. What followed went further than typical online criticism.
Amid the privacy backlash, Langley’s reported property appeared blurred on Google Street View, according to Cybernews. Users then reportedly went a step further and marked the location on Google Maps as a public toilet. However, it is unclear whether Langley himself requested the Street View blur.
Here’s a question: when Google blurs things, do they go back and blur historical footage too? Is there even historical street view? I thought there was.
I know I used to see a fairly clear picture of myself on Google Street View when it came out. It was later slightly blurred out even though it wasn’t the latest one when when I checked through the timeline.
