Update 2: Google in the Doghouse on Geo Re: Mapping Routers and Routing Pedestrians
Earlier this month a judge dismissed all but one claim in the case where a pedestrian sued Google since it's walking directions nearly got her killed when a car hit her, while whe was walking on a highway.
The court said that the company didn’t owe Rosenberg any duty because it didn’t have a direct legal relationship with her. Among other reasons, the court found that Google’s mapping services offer considerable value to the public and that allowing the litigation to go forward could open the door to “nearly unlimited liability” for Google
-- update 6/3/10 --
Rosenberg, who is suing Google over its walking directions that got her hit by a car, had her lawyer do the talking regarding the incident, which occurred in January 2009. I paraphrase Allen Young's comments to Search Engine Land: "It was dark, she'd never been there before, she thought there was a sidewalk on the other side." Google for its part notes that a warning regarding walking directions has appeared on mobiles since November 08. - Search Engine Land via Webware (C|net)
--- original post 6/1/10 ---
This is not news to me but it is to some: Google has mapped every router in Britain. Authorities and privacy advocates are not happy with the fact that was not disclosed to data protection authorities; Google did not think it was necessary. The "news" comes in the wake of revelations that Google did while sniffing out the routers capture some data going into and out of those routers. It called that collection an error.
Lauren Rosenberg is suing Google because she was struck by a vehicle while following a pedestrian route suggested by Google Maps for Park City, Utah. Danny Sullivan goes into the details checking the route in Google and Bing and looking at the warnings regarding the routes. I do not think this will hold up in court and believe it should not.
