Google Street View’s launch in India : Pros & Cons!
Google Street view has been popular worldwide for quite some time now but India along with few other countries has continuously been denying permission to Google. The plan includes putting tourist spots, hills and rivers of Indian cities on the application that can show a 360-degree panoramic view of these places. It is an amazing app that shows incredible images of landmarks and natural wonders. One can leap inside museums, parks and other public places including public transportation.
India continues to be wary of the security threats that it could open up if terrorists could have access to all these information of public places. The policy is still under consideration and people are beginning to hope that they could soon have access to this quality street mapping system.
Pros1. Real view: A real view of the landmark you are trying to find or visit can be seen if Google Street View is given permission to launch in India. Finding landmarks of a place in an entirely different city is very confusing since there are not many real images available. Most of them are either too animated or of the time when the building was new and looked different. Having a real view of what a place looks like in real can be helpful in various fronts.
2. Virtual touring: Everyone loves travelling and seeing new places but let’s accept it, we don’t all get to do what we want. There are limitations to our recreational activities in present times and most people in small towns and villages are left wondering what the scenic view of a big city is like. You can virtually see places and views which is not equal to real experiences but better than nothing.
3. Smart scanning: Hotels can no longer cheat on customers with their entirely different images on travel websites. One can take a look at the areas around the hotel they want to put in during vacations. You can also see how good the hotel is on maintaining security.
4. Easy to find a place: When you have already seen how a place looks like, it is more likely to be easy to spot when you are looking for it. You wouldn’t have to depend on the capability of the driver to take you to the place that you are searching for. You could see the location and know what it looks like which leaves very less to confusion and doubts.
5. Bliss for real estate buyers: If you are a buyer, this one app can save you tons of hardship and travelling miles to see a location and then to be disappointed by what it is in real. Those who are in the real estate business can run their business from anywhere, without having to travel and take clients on multiple locations before they choose one.
Cons1. Security compromised: Forget terrorists, take into consideration the kind of treat it would be for burglars and local thieves if they could see what the neighborhood actually looks like and loopholes that could be violated to break into a house. They wouldn’t even have to keep an eye on the area physically to be doubted by anyone. This indeed will be one extreme step if security is compromised to promote tourism.
2. Stalking would become easier: If one knows where you live, they could virtually track your movements including when you leave the house, which route you take for work and when you return home. This could pose one severe problem, especially if crooks, rapists and pedophiles can have access to such information.
3. More judging: Anyone who knows where you live can look up to see what kind of a house you dwell in and hence give them access to judge you based on the house you own or rent for living. Instead of judging you based on what kind of a person you are, people who are new in your life would want to see the neighborhood you grew up in and determine what kind of a person would live there.
Infringement of civil liberties: Imagine the kind of moral policing that we already have and that getting a boost with capturing images of you on the go. Get the picture? We aren’t ready for anything that would add to the existing moral policing in public.
The policy is still under discussion and we can only hope that the cons are taken into serious consideration before allowing anything that open to have access to our day to day living.
