SFist: Photo du Jour 149

mazack

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:12:10 -0800

Street View is a non commercial venture and has no advertising. I suggest you read the terms of use on the Google maps page if you're in doubt about that. So, no, they do not need a permit. However, you can request to have your face or personal info blurred (such as plate numbers) if it presents a privacy issue.

fizzandpop

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:14:51 -0800

Er no, Boss Hogg IS THE LAW. Jesus, do we have to send Anus around to remind you of the fact?

Generic

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:38:23 -0800

So the bull horns on Boss Hogg's 1970 Cadillac De Ville are out, then?

snidleywhiplash

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:26:32 -0800

Um... the "do they have a permit" question isn't just about the legal and metaphysical issue of photography. You usually need some level of official approval to drive on public streets with strange apparatuses protruding from your vehicle. Divisions 12, Chapter 1 of the California Vehicle Code prohibits the operation of vehicles that have unapproved crap bolted onto it.

mpantone

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:23:45 -0800

Hey, maybe the cop is lost. "Um, you're the Google Street View guy. You should know where this is, right?"

wsanders

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:10:13 -0800

Too bad he didn't get tagged by a red light camera! Har! Har! Har!

Generic

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:36:43 -0800

Did you hear the one about the asinine Erik Estrada stand-in who writes speeding tickets on the information superhighway? Yo fuzz, quit fucking with our street view. It works, it's free, and it makes our lives more efficient --three things you don't do. Can't he exercise a little independent judgement here? Can't he look at the label and the camera and the locale and go, "Oh. Yeah. Carry on." Betcha he types his police reports on IBM Selectric.

jimH

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:29:05 -0800

The side of the car has a Google sign, fyi.

mpantone

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:26:06 -0800

I don't think Google Street View qualifies as "commercial photography" since they aren't using the imagery to sell stuff (unlike local shots for Northern California Honda Dealers). And yeah, the city permit requirement is for closing off the street (just like for parades and street fairs). As for the camera itself, it appears to be about 9 feet high (not fifteen), just tall enough so most vehicles and people don't obscure the street view. Remember, it's called "Street View" not "People View." It's only nominally taller than, say, a minivan with a pair of bicycles strapped to the roof.

Executionsinfo

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:10:17 -0800

How do you know that isn't the Mapjack car?

mushmouth

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:14:59 -0800

That is a Presidio cop, they don't have anything to do with solving city crimes, they do have a hit and run of a jogger a couple of years ago, but that, and making sure people go the speed limit, and come to a complete stop at all stop signs is all they have to do. Because of the fact that tickets given by Presidio police are federal, not state or local, they don't put points on your license, nor do they increase your insurance rates.

EllyMental

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:14:03 -0800

Anyway, since when is the "street view" for people that are 15 feet tall?

RobInSF

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:45:03 -0800

It's nice to see that the police are busy solving crime - oh wait, I mean generating revenue instead of solving crime. I wonder how many people got stabbed, shot or robbed during the 15 minutes that it took to run a background check and write that ticket. Nice job Fong!

fizzandpop

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:32:47 -0800

Commercial photography requires a permit whether you close the street or not. No one will notice a dude with a camera, but try setting up a crew and lights without one, the cops will be round lickety split. The city loves fees.

OrangeDrink

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:13:39 -0800

True. Everything that can be viewed from the street is fair game. The permit is required to close the street, etc.

DC1974

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:08:11 -0800

I don't think you need to get a permit to take pictures in public. Commercial or otherwise.

suckafree

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:52:36 -0800

they probably don't have a permit to have something mounted to the car like that. doh!

fizzandpop

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:45:45 -0800

Well here's one thing I've wondered about when my thoughts are not consumed by Jesus: Presumably Google has done all this street view shooting without a permit (it's a commercial venture, so they technically should have one, as impossible as that sounds). What's the deal? Does anyone know? Anyhow, I'm sure they pulled over the Prius for not using a turn signal because I've yet to see a Prius driver who actually notices that there are other people on the road and said people would like some prior warning about the next erratic manouver that pops randomly into said Prius driver's brain. In short, wake the f**k up Prius drivers, we can't read your KQED-addled minds.