Is Google Invading Our Privacy?

Here’s an interesting video in which young people voice their opinions about the photographs taken for Google’s Street View. It’s interesting on a number of levels:

• As an idea. It shows you that your students could produce a decent video without having a Hollywood budget!
• As a starting point for discussion about information and knowledge: do most of the people interviewed know a great deal about how the data captured is used? If the conclusion is “possibly not”, then what could be done about it? Should anything be done about it?
• As the basis for a discussion on media: does the film feature a representative sample of people? Has it been edited to reflect a particular view? Who made it? I don’t mean what’s their name, but who are they? How did they choose who to interview?
• As the basis for a discussion about political issues. I found it surprising, shocking even, that many of the interviewees trusted Google more than they trusted the government. Mind you, when you consider the apparent track record of the last government in Britain in terms of losing data, it’s not surprising at all.
• A discussion with colleagues might be had on how much or how little your students know about these issues, and what is their attitude towards it? I think the comment by one of the interviewees is very telling:

Someone’s watching us every minute of the day (through CCTV), so people should get used to it.

If that’s typical, what are the implications for trying to teach young people to respect their own privacy online?

It’s only a short video, but I think you’ll agree there’s a lot of potential for ICT /educational technology in it.

GOOGLE vs GOVERNMENT