Over the last 18 months, Google has faced significant controversy over its planned Street View service in Germany. Various government officials and some vocal citizens have said that the website to display street-level photographs of buildings and homes is tantamount to significant privacy violations. Earlier in the summer, Google said it would be launching Street View in the 20 biggest cities in Germany, one of the major Western European countries not to have the service, before the end of the year. As a way to placate German concerns, two months ago, Google said it would allow residents across the country to opt-out of the service - that is, to blur their house - before the October 15 deadline. That move was unprecedented in the nearly 30 countries where Street View already exists. Last Thursday morning, Google announced on a company blog exactly how many German residents had decided to remove themselves.

Report: Holly Fox