GOOGLE'S Street View project, which records images of roads - and passers-by - across Britain has been condemned in a parliamentary debate called by Harlow MP Robert Halfon.

Mr Halfon, who has had two articles on the issue published, in the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1324385/Other-nations-stop-Google-acting-like-Peeping-Tom-Why-we.html and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8090486/Individuals-need-protection-from-Google.html - raised the issue with the Backbench Business Committee.

MPs from all three of the major political fires came together in the debate to heavily criticise Google's invasion of privacy.

Mr Halfon called for an "Internet Bill of Rights", to protect ordinary people from " a surveillance society which threatened their privacy.

Mr Halfon asked the question: "Are we sleepwalking into a privatised surveillance society, and how can we stop it?

He added: "I have a huge belief in the power of the Internet to do good, and potentially be a force for democratic development, allowing citizen power at its best.

However, I think there's a great difference between advancement of the internet, and violating people's right to privacy.

"It is actually private companies who seem to have acquired the right to photograph what goes on in people's gardens.

"That is a very dangerous shift, because if no one has any right to privacy, we will soon be living - dare I say it - with a privatised version of Big Brother run by some of these Internet companies."

Mr Halfon said his concerns focused on Google's street mapping, its accessing of people's personal wi-fi addresses and the harvesting of personal email addresses and passwords too.

On behalf of the Government, Business Minister Ed Vaizey welcomed the debate and made it clear that the Government took thr issue very seriously, and that he would be taking action to address this.

In response to Mr Halfon's campaign for an Internet Bill of Rights, Mr Vaizey announced that he would:

i) ask businesses to sign up to a refreshed and more concise version of the Information Commissioner's 'Code of Conduct'. In essence, this would be the first step towards a proper Internet Bill of Rights for the UK

ii) bring forward new proposals, so that before anything like Street View happens again, private companies such as Google will have to agree strict and formal ground-rules in advance with the Information Commissioner

iii) contribute to the new EU privacy directive, with the aim of strengthening privacy laws, and giving more powers to the Information Commissioner to protect ordinary people

iv) meet with ISPs and internet companies, such as Google and Facebook, to propose a new mediation service. This would give ordinary people whose privacy has been breached a new means of redress.

Speaking after the debate, Mr Halfon said: "Although this does not deal with privacy infringements in the past, such as Street View, it will give us greater protection in the future."

However, he added: "I still believe there needs to be an independent inquiry to look at this properly.

"It should decide what rights individuals should have against the activities of internet companies. There must also be an examination as to the role of the Information Commissioner under existing legislation.

"At present the Information Commission is more Sir Humphrey than a Shark with teeth.



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