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In a post entitled “Google, the anti-social corporation” [ja], former Mainichi journalist and writer/blogger Hiroyuki Fujishiro [藤代裕之] at Gatonews picks up on an ongoing series of posts [ja] by blogger and security researcher Hiromitsu Takagi [高木浩光] criticizing Google's handling of the roll-out of its Street View service in Japan. Fujishiro notes that while business aspects of Google are generally viewed positively, there is a need for more discussion on various issues relating to privacy, censorship, security/trust and culture.

6 comments

  • Britty

    The nutshell of this issue which Hiromitsu san and Fujishiro san raised is imo that Google Japan made claimed the law doesn’t distinguish distinct private ways and public ones so that Google caus ed no legal problem to ignore this distinction. I have no idea why you missed this point with which many bloggers now think of Google as “anti-social”.

    # 2008-10-5 at 7:04 am
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  • yukichi

    This Fujishiro’s entry mentions one of the Google’s responses, but it’s not all answers from Google. And it’s had better note Hromitsu Takagi is not a lawyer also. This problem is very complex, we need to be careful of mention it.

    # 2008-10-5 at 8:49 am
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  • Pingback: Sunday news and blog roundup Japan Economy News & Blog - Business, Economy, Marketing and Economic Reports

    [...] Voices Online is tracking bloggers who are critical of Google’s Street View service being rolled out in Japan. There has been some noise made over this over the past few weeks, [...]

    # 2008-10-5 at 13:42 pm

  • Manabu K

    So many social problems are uprising in Japanese society cause by Street View
    Japan have got many social discriminations and racism against minority people live in Japan.

    Many Discrimination agitation message are on internet.
    Discrimination in internet is so hard in Japan because no law about that.
    As one example Burakumin people in Japanese society.
    http://www.bll.gr.jp/eng.html
    Korian people in japan also attacked. Many massages say ‘ ‘this house is Burakumin’s house’ 　’ this house is Korian’s house’ with Google Street View images and map URL.

    Google is completely paying neither consideration nor consideration to this serious problem.
    It is thought that I am a big problem that not the problem of a Japanese society alone but the segregation thing of all parts of the world shares his posture to this discrimination problem with the minority.
    A lot of problems of the racial clash and the religious conflict, a feature and
    traditional lifestyles, and the discrimination problems exist in the world.
    I think that the world pays attention to whether Google takes account to human
    rights.

    # 2008-10-5 at 16:26 pm
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  • Chris Salzberg

    @Britty

    Sorry, I didn’t miss the point, it’s just a matter of what to include in two sentences (link posts need to be short). I think you’re right that this should have been mentioned, thanks for pointing that out.

    I think the most interesting point Fujishiro-san brings up in the post is that Google is becoming a part of the infrastructure, and there is a social responsibility associated with this that needs to be discussed.

    @yukichi

    Thanks for your comment. Hiromitsu Takagi is not a lawyer, but he is a prominent blogger who has written more about this issue than anybody else I have read.

    # 2008-10-6 at 2:38 am
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  • Pingback: Global Voices Online » Japan: Street View and Public Space

    [...] Hiromitsu Takagi has written a great deal about Street View in Japan, he is not a lawyer, as some have pointed out. There are lawyers, however, have been reading Takagi's posts. At the Hanamizuki Law Office [...]

    # 2008-10-7 at 15:35 pm

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