British Parliament Blasts Google Over Street View Breaches

Alison Diana reports:

A member of Parliament (MP) lambasted Britain’s information commissioner for a “lily-livered” investigation into Google and its Street View breaches, which has expanded into a broad review of online privacy and the Internet.

Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow, Essex, put forth an early motion that led to Thursday’s debate in London’s Westminster Hall to address the issue of the Internet and individual privacy. Many parliamentarians believe there is a broader problem to address than merely Google’s much-documented issues, according to British news reports.

“I believe we’re potentially sleepwalking into a privatized surveillance society. Ordinary people have no protection against big companies on the Internet — as the recent Street View fiasco has shown. I feel very strongly about this, and have been campaigning on it in the House of Commons since I was elected,” Halfon said.