Eye in the Sky: NY High-Tech crackdown on illegal pools - latest assault on your right to privacy?
source: http://morichesdaily.com/2010/08/electronic-eye-sky/
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- MorichesDaily
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In an unprecedented proliferation of public spying, government is casting its watchful eye on millions of ordinary Americans through largely unregulated surveillance cameras trained on public spaces throughout the nation.
A Long Island town is using a new tool to find you without ever setting foot on your property.
Using Google Earth images Riverhead’s Chief Building Inspector Leroy Barnes Jr. eyeballed properties on the Internet and identified those with pools, then compared the list to records of homes with pool permits.
Barnes said he targeted pools – after discussions with town leaders – because of safety concerns. Without permits and the required inspections, pools can be hazards, he said, because there’s no way to tell whether fencing, electric and plumbing work for such pools meets code and state safety regulations.
“Pool safety has always been my concern,” said Barnes, who acknowledged that “a lot of people don’t like the idea of an eye in the sky.”
This has raised concerns with privacy advocates as it may be the first use of Google Earth for such a purpose. A Google representative told Newsday she didn’t know of any specific example of Google Earth being used elsewhere as it has been in Riverhead, and did not respond specifically to whether the company had any concerns about how the town used the service.
Read More: http://morichesdaily.com/2010/08/electronic-eye-sky/
A Long Island town is using a new tool to find you without ever setting foot on your property.
Using Google Earth images Riverhead’s Chief Building Inspector Leroy Barnes Jr. eyeballed properties on the Internet and identified those with pools, then compared the list to records of homes with pool permits.
Barnes said he targeted pools – after discussions with town leaders – because of safety concerns. Without permits and the required inspections, pools can be hazards, he said, because there’s no way to tell whether fencing, electric and plumbing work for such pools meets code and state safety regulations.
“Pool safety has always been my concern,” said Barnes, who acknowledged that “a lot of people don’t like the idea of an eye in the sky.”
This has raised concerns with privacy advocates as it may be the first use of Google Earth for such a purpose. A Google representative told Newsday she didn’t know of any specific example of Google Earth being used elsewhere as it has been in Riverhead, and did not respond specifically to whether the company had any concerns about how the town used the service.
Read More: http://morichesdaily.com/2010/08/electronic-eye-sky/
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- groups:
- Community, Tech, Moriches Daily News
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- tags:
- Google, New York, United States, Big Brother, 17 more
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dou4u2
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whats next?
- 1 year ago
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dou4u2
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bailey78
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I am so glad I live out in the woods.
- 1 year ago
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bailey78
