Saturday, April 04, 2009

Google's Street-Level Map

There's an article over at CNN - "Angry Villagers Chase Away Google Car."CNN

Google has decided it will create a street-level map of three continents to go along with its Google Earth overhead view. However, the residents of this little UK town decided they did NOT want their properties photographed and made available for all the world's criminals to see. Google claims it blurs faces & license plates, but...

How do you feel about this little invasion of privacy?

10 comments:

Helen Ginger said...

I think Google is taking over the earth. Google and Amazon.

That's a tough question. I like being able to go see certain places. I've not seen the house where my daughter is now living, so yesterday I tried to look, but Google wanted me to pay to download Google Earth, so I didn't. But I'm sure a criminal would have no qualms about paying if it would help them scope out locations.

Anonymous said...

Helen, your post seems a misstatement. Google Earth is free to download and free to use. There is a pay version for professional use, but the free one is just fine and used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

That's odd. Google should give people the right to opt out. They don't think of the consequences do they. It's all about money.

Anonymous said...

How dare the UK offend Google. That country is so PC. They even stopped having children read "The Three Little Pigs" because it might offend Muslims. What a joke.

roofoo said...

It's completely legal to take photographs from public property, such as streets. People might not be happy about it but legally Google is within their rights. Ask any photographer, they will tell you the same thing.

Anonymous said...

I can understand their concern, but this Google thing is like all technology - it is good or bad depending on how and by whom it is used and with what intent. We can't have the many conveniences of technology without the inherent dangers of its insidious misuse.

Roofoo, you make a good point, and Anonymous - ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The 3 little pigs? Hoo-boy - this society is becoming so pathetically thin-skinned! Ridiculous.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Goggle started blurring faces after some guy was photographed coming out of an adult book store in San Francisco!

Anonymous said...

I can barely believe that the country with the most insidious system of surveillance cameras would suddenly have a few of its citizens balk at having photos of the outside of their houses taken from a public street appear on the web. (Photos that are perfectly legal to take.)

Unfortunately, by calling attention to themselves this way, potential bad guys may now have targets that they may not of considered before.

Broughton might as well put a sign up saying "Rob us - we have something to hide."

Anonymous said...

interesting and much to think about...

allyn

Mayra Calvani said...

I don't like this invasion of privacy at all.