GoogleStreet Viewdoes not contravene the UK
Data Protection Act, says the Information Commissioner's Office
(ICO).
"There is
no law against anyone taking pictures of people in the street
as long as the person using the camera is not harassing people,"
said the ICO's David Evans.
He was responding to a complaint from Privacy International,
which said it planned to
challenge
Google's Street View service when it was introduced to the UK
in March.
The privacy watchdog is among the organisations and individuals
that have raised objections to the service since then.
The ICO has told Privacy International that the removal of the
Google service would be "disproportionate" to the relatively small
risk to privacy.
After consultation with the ICO in 2008, Google agreed to blur
people's faces and car registration plates.
The ICO said it was satisfied that Google is putting in place
adequate safeguards to minimise any risk to the privacy and safety
of individuals.
"As a regulator, we take a pragmatic and common sense approach,"
said Evans.
The ICO will be watching closely to ensure Google continues to
respond quickly to deletion requests and complaints, he said.