In June we wrote a blog about our ongoing Street View conversations with the Article 29 Working Party (the group which brings together representatives from all 27 European Data Protection Authorities).

Just to recap, they had asked that we continue to give advance notice to the public before collecting any images. In addition, they had requested that we set reasonable time limits for keeping copies of the un-blurred images used to create Street View.

As background, we use technology to blur faces and license plates before publishing them on Street View. While our technology is state-of-the-art, it's not perfect and we sometimes mistakenly blur things that are useful or interesting like sign posts, statues, street names, store fronts (KFC's Colonel Saunders is probably our most blurred image!) and road signs (like a 'no entry' or 'no right turn' sign, which our technology apparently thinks are faces).

We keep these un-blurred images in our databases so we can build better products, for example by constantly improving our blurring technology so that it obscures more of the things it should and less of the things it shouldn't. We also announced today another way in which Street View data helps us make our maps better.

For example, we might need to read a street sign in a Street View image to make sure that the street is properly named on Google Maps. Similarly, we need to know if a street has 'no entry' signs, so that we don't give you bad driving directions.

Starting today, we will permanently blur images on our internal database within one year of their publication on Street View. This means that long term the only copy we keep will be the blurred version. In countries where Street View is already launched the year long retention period will start today.

We think one year strikes a reasonable balance between protecting people's privacy and our ability to reduce mistakes in blurring, as well as use the data we have collected to build better maps products. It's important to remember that European privacy laws allow for the retention of data, so long as it is for reasonable periods of time and the information itself is actually being used.

In addition, where someone specifically requests that we remove an image (even where that particular face or license plate is already blurred in the published version), we'll move those images to the front of the queue, and permanently blur those pictures in our records as quickly as possible. We're also announcing today that over the next few months we'll launch revamped websites in countries where we're driving and/or where Street View is already available. These sites will have additional information about the product, including more detail about where Street View cars are driving--now all we need is good weather so we can show off all the attractions we're photographing in their best light!

Finally, we continue to work on improving our blurring technology. It's good but we think we can make it even better and as we make improvements we'll roll them out globally so that users everywhere get to benefit from them.

Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel

The invitation sounded cool. Instead of dull, bureaucratic Brussels, I received a link to a European Commission site entitled IT for Girls, which featured the arresting title "Cyberellas are IT!" accompanied by - get this - rap music.




Intrigued, I investigated and learned that the European Commission was asking Google to sign up to a Code of Conduct in order to improve prospects for women to build careers in information technology. This goal resonates with us. Too few women study engineering and computer science and this gap continues to widen in all but a very few European countries. The IT industry as a whole is finding it hard to fill positions and any serious effort to solve the problem means encouraging women to overcome the "geek stereotype." So I agreed to come to Brussels on October 8 and participate in a seminar with European Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding.

At Google, we aspire to make information access better for everyone. Our users are simply everyone on the planet - so, we need to have an engineering organisation that represents that to the best of its abilities - making products that mean something for people. Having women developing products is key to us developing relevant and meaningful products. It's obvious to me that working in a team ofGooglers from diverse backgrounds and life experiences makes problem solving and creativity a lot more likely - and a lot more fun.

We've already undertaken many of the measures the Commission encourages to improve gender balance, working with universities and sponsoring scholarships for female computer scientists. Four years ago, we posted this inside look at our pioneering female engineers at Google. We also sponsor the Anita Borg Scholarship for women undergraduate and graduate students in technology. Named after the late and great female computer scientist Anita Borg, scholarship recipients will each receive a EUR 7,000 award for the 2010-2011 academic year and be invited to attend the Annual Google Scholars' Retreat in our European Engineering Headquarters in Zurich. The British Computer Society recognized Google as a great place to work in 2008 and we are shortlisted again this year, so fingers crossed.

We're proud to have a strong lineup of top female executives. Megan Smith, our vice president of new business development, oversees our new-ventures partnerships, explorations, and licensing, FrancoiseBrougher , vice president of business operations, has led us into Sub-Saharan Africa. Marissa Mayer, our vice president of search products, is spearheading efforts in Web search, images, news, maps, Google Earth, and more.Shona Brown joined Google in 2003 to oversee critical operational issues across the company as senior vice president of business operations.

We try to make Google a welcoming place to work for all of its staff, including women. Google offers its staff free lunches and massages, as well as games rooms and 20% time (engineers can choose for themselves what they wish to work on for, on average, one day per week). These are not frivolous perks, but a crafted, thought-out our human resource strategy that we believe pays off in happy, productive employees.Generous maternity leave allows women to pursue careers - and Google's progressive paternity policy gives them a strong support structure at home (actually, we recently made two very high profile promotions of women who were on maternity leave at the time!). For those first few weeks of baby's new life, Google Mums or Dads can also claim the new parent food allowance to, at least, remove one of the household headaches. Both male and femaleGooglers tell us how they appreciate flexibility in working hours - and our company policy of doing all work collaboratively on the Internet improves overall work-life balance.

We have just started this journey to help women get online - and there's lots more we can do. I look forward to explaining our Google culture this week in Brussels - and to enjoying a little more of that surprising rap music.

Posted by Rachel Mooney, Head of Diversity & People Policy for Europe