The controversy surrounding time travel on Google Maps

Since the release of ‘Back to the Future’ in 1985, time travel has become one of humanity’s most important truncated dreams. With different theories, many of which are based on quantum science and “inside” black holes, scientists have looked for the means (or the means) to unveil the secrets of time and find a way to have control over the past, present and future of humanity.

However, in recent years certain methods have been discovered which, while not claiming to be the secret to time travel as such, have brought people closer to their pasts through tours in which nostalgia and the historical narrative are the protagonists.

Ever since man implanted in his mind the need to find ways to have a direct connection with his ancestors, science has opted for documents such as drawing, photography and video (each in different techniques and times) that you can remember and experience firsthand with those people who have already left this earth plane.

One of these tools is Google with its now famous “Google Maps” application and the interaction it can have with the real world through “Street View”.

This option, born within Google in 2007 and which allows you to tour a real place on the planet as if you were there at that precise moment, has completely changed the way you see the world; however, Over time, it has also become a way to connect with “the afterlife”.

Many people on the Internet have highlighted the Street View “bug” with which it is possible to “travel through time” and observe photographs or moments of loved ones who have unfortunately already passed away, but who have been recorded by the cameras of the web ‘giant’ which “They drive, pedal, sail, walk and catch” say pictures.

However, since 2014, Google has decided to take advantage of this “failure” and turn what looked like an accident into a family reunification option within its “street explorer”.

“If you’ve ever dreamed of being a time traveler like Doc Brown, now is your chance. Starting today (April 23, 2014), you can time travel to see how a place has changed over the years by exploring Street View images on Google Maps for the desktop. We have collected historical images of previous Street View collections dating from 2007 to create this digital time capsule of the worldThis is the explanation that Google made in 2014 of what its new function of “time travel” would be.

“Forget the 88 mph speed in a DeLorean; you can stay where you are and use Google Maps to virtually explore the world as it is and as it was. Have a good trip (back in time)!“

Despite what some people consider a tool to be “heartwarming”, for others it is a clear example that Google can, without authorizing or even knowing it, have control over your privacy.

There are several complaints Google has received in which it is forced to remove a photo from Street View because it violates people’s rights or hurts their susceptibility. For example, in 2013, a man in California (United States) asked Google to remove sordid image from the web showing his son’s body from an aerial shot taken by this company. On the other hand, several complained that their relatives, already deceased, appear out of nowhere on Street View, accusing that this type of activity violates their own religious or denominational laws.

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