Google's Project Sunroof

[Alan Georges]

Link and some editorializing over at Off Grid Ham: http://offgridham.com/2017/10/project-sunroof/

TLDR summary: Google's planning on a host of data tools to facilitate solar decision making and installation.  Part of this will be indexing and sharing data on who has solar installed.  And that's where it gets into creepy, OPSEC-violating surveillance of peoples' yards.  From the OGH write-up:

If your solar panels are not visible from the street, or you live in a remote area, the operational security (OPSEC) implications of being “outed” by Project Sunroof are obvious and quite unsettling. Likewise, for those who do not have solar installed, do you really want that data out there where any nosey neighbor, electric utility, or solar contractor can look it up?

Hm.  At some level I'm thinking "C'mon.  What's the big deal?  The panel's already out there in the yard where people can see it."  OTOH... this is Google we're talking about.  If there's a slimy way to to screw up people's privacy, they'll find it.

[Carl]

  Data pimps.

[iam4liberty]

Link and some editorializing over at Off Grid Ham: http://offgridham.com/2017/10/project-sunroof/

TLDR summary: Google's planning on a host of data tools to facilitate solar decision making and installation.  Part of this will be indexing and sharing data on who has solar installed.  And that's where it gets into creepy, OPSEC-violating surveillance of peoples' yards.  From the OGH write-up:
Hm.  At some level I'm thinking "C'mon.  What's the big deal?  The panel's already out there in the yard where people can see it."  OTOH... this is Google we're talking about.  If there's a slimy way to to screw up people's privacy, they'll find it.

I dont understand.  How is this different from google earth and satelite imagery?   

Knowing what is around is standard operating proceedure for preppers. For example, I have GPS stored for each grain silo and gas station around my city and just started looking for water towers and solar panels.

[Alan Georges]

I dont understand.  How is this different from google earth and satelite imagery?   

That's a good question.  The difference I see is that it is one thing for a few people to look around on sat imagery to see what's in their neighborhoods, but it is another for bulk processing of all imagery to find all solar panels, everywhere, and then spread that information to anyone who cares to look.

It's kind of like the difference between police doing a mail cover* to surveil a suspected criminal's post office traffic, vs. keeping a database on all mail coming in to everybody.  The first is labor intensive and because of this it's going to be very selectively used.  The second is wide open to fishing expeditions.

Does that make sense?  Or am I just being paranoid?

--
* for those not familiar with the term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_cover