In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Google Street View, the relative merits of Facebook’s Open Graph, and the passion of Canada’s privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

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Google Explains How It Collects Street View Information

In response to ongoing criticism over its Street View product, Google issued a response on the company’s Official European Public Policy Blog explaining how Google uses the information it collects from Street View and why Google believes that this information does not affect an individual’s privacy rights. According to Google, the company only collects photos, local WiFi network data and 3-D building imagery.

Should Facebook Moderate Anti-Obama Groups?

All Facebook poses an interesting question about free speech on Facebook. Citing several groups that advocate for the death of President Obama, Nick O’Neill writes that the group crosses the line. However, in the comments of the article, people rightly suggest that there are other groups on Facebook advocating for the death of former Republican presidents. Should Facebook remove this material as well?

Facebook is rapidly approaching 500 million users. Even if it were in the company’s interest to closely regulate content (and it’s not because more content means more space for advertising), it would be difficult for Facebook to respond to every issue. To this end, the best thing you can do about hateful groups on Facebook is simply not join them.

Profiling Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart

Whether she’s knocking down Facebook’s walls over the company’s constant privacy changes, criticizing Google over Street View and other programs, or regulating telecommunications companies in her own country, Canadian Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart is respected the world over for her efforts in protecting consumer privacy. This article from The Globe and Mail details how Stoddart has transformed Canada’s privacy advocacy efforts over the last seven years and some of the successes she has had thus far.

Italian Judge Made Legal Error in Conviction of Google Execs

According to The Register, Elvira Berlingieri, an Italian legal expert, has determined that the Italian judge who sentenced three Google executives over privacy violations made a legal error that will allow Google to reverse the decision on appeal. The specifics of Berlingieri’s reasoning are somewhat technical for the non legal-minded, but what her argument boils down to is that the judge applied incorrect sections of Italian privacy law to the case.

Is Facebook Better for Publishers Than Google?

Many have complained about the privacy implications of Facebook’s new Open Graph technology, but, according to Ben Elowitz at the Huffington Post, from a publisher’s perspective, Open Graph is a good thing. Elowitz believes that user-recommended content will be more valuable in driving traffic compared to basic Google searches, explaining that “content sharing favors well-authored, branded experiences, which contrasts with the Google referral engine which favors “relevance” to a search phrase based on a mathematical algorithm.”