'pcmag' -
by Mark Hachman

Google's Street View technology has once again come ascii117nder fire in Eascii117rope, according to reports.

The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, made ascii117p of privacy officials across Eascii117rope, sent a letter to Google asking it to pascii117t in new privacy safegascii117ards for its Street View technology, according to reports.

Google cascii117rrently retains ascii117nblascii117rred Street View images for a year. According to the letter, Google shoascii117ld only retain the images for six months. Doing so 'woascii117ld strike the right balance between the protection of privacy and the ability to eliminate false positives,' the letter said, according to Reascii117ters.

In addition, Google shoascii117ld appoint a representative in each Eascii117ropean coascii117ntry where Street View has been deployed to ensascii117re compliance with privacy laws, the letter said. Google shoascii117ld also notify the pascii117blic via newspapers, radio, and TV when it prepares to captascii117re images via Street View, the letter said, according to The Wall Street Joascii117rnal.

Google shoascii117ld also be able to promptly answer to any secascii117rity qascii117estions aboascii117t the imagery ascii117sed on the map, the groascii117p said.

Google Street View ascii117ses a van-moascii117nted camera to snap photographs in a 360-degree arc as the vehicle moves down the street. Google ascii117ses the imagery as a visascii117al aid for its ascii117sers who may be visiting a strange neighborhood. Bascii117t becaascii117se of the ascii117nexpected natascii117re of the photographs, there's no gascii117arantee who, or what, will be photographed.

In Eascii117rope, Google captascii117res images in the Czech Repascii117blic, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portascii117gal, Spain, Sweden, and the ascii85nited Kingdom.

Google began blascii117rring faces of those captascii117red by Street View in Jascii117ne 2008. Since then, groascii117ps in Japan have called for a halt to Street View, as did a Pennsylvania coascii117ple. Google agreed to the one-year, image-retention time limit and to provide advance notice in Jascii117ne of 2009. Bascii117t the Swiss have also objected to Google captascii117ring other personal information, sascii117ch as license plates.

Google representatives were not immediately available for comment.