Software Development

Bing’s virtual street tour showed Baltimore homicide victim

Microsoft edited the image, but didn't take it down completely.

Bing's mapping car. (Photo by Flickr user Paul L. McCord Jr., used under a Creative Commons license)
Bing’s mapping service relies on automated tools for its virtual-tour feature. Until Monday, however, they did not pick up on the fact that a photo of one Baltimore intersection showed the immediate aftermath of a shooting.

On Monday, Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton tweeted Bing images (warning: graphic) showing the corner of Pennington Avenue and Hazel Street in Curtis Bay. The image showed a homicide victim lying in the street, with police surrounding him.
The Sun reported that the photo was taken by Bing’s camera-equipped car on April 29, 2015.

The car, which recorded images for Bing Streetside, photographed the body of a Baltimore man moments after he had been shot. Police say Ricky Chambers Jr. was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

Bing edited the image after it was made public, inserting a white box over the homicide scene.

Screenshot of Bing Streetview on Oct. 25, 2016.

Screenshot of Bing Streetview on Oct. 25, 2016.


In a statement to ABC2, Microsoft said the service relies on an algorithm to protect privacy, but it is “not able to identify all issues with images.”

Companies: Baltimore Police Department / Bing
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