Google Street View - Cool Tool or Gross Invasion Of Privacy?

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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:44 am

This was launched today, pics of your house on your street taken from a passing vehicle. All you have to do is type the street address. Not all areas are covered (yet) but my house is in there and it's WAY too much detail for comfort (my car reggo is clearly visible). I'm not a privacy freak at all but I'm really not comfortable with this. Discuss.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:47 am

this was not launched today

we got it like a month ago.

and you want to talk about invasion of privacy?

my dad is visible in the driveway. His whole head is.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 4:55 am

Discuss what?

I am totally comfortable with your house being shown in Google.

Compare and contrast.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:05 am

^^^ Well, it's not necessarily just your house.

It also shows your cars, and possibly what is in them.

And, like I said, it shows my dad in it. His head is visible; you can even see the color of his hair. That's how close it gets.

I don't believe its really an invasion either. Unless some hooker is turning tricks in a car and you can see the guy's face!

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:43 am

It may have been launched in the US last month but here in Australia which is, like, not the US it was launched today. We are pretty backward here in the colonies. I don't have a problem with my house being on the internet. I do have a problem registration of the car parked in the driveway being clearly visible too. As far as I can see there isn't a hooker actually IN the car but it was a Tuesday which is always slow around here.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:55 am

My understanding is that you can contact Google and have an incriminating photo removed from their database if you feel it is inappropriate.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:59 am

Quote:

registration of the car parked in the driveway being clearly visible too.

Wow. Those cameras had to have been in on ultra zoom or something to get the registration.

Quote:

We are pretty backward here in the colonies.

The only thing I know about Australia is in the Simpsons episode where they went to Australia. Greatest. Simpsons. Episode. Ever. You have to watch that, specially as an Australian.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:08 am

Here in the other Colony, Google have agreed to mask out any details such as car rego, people,

But I doubt it

I think it'll be a case of contact Google, and hopefully it will be resolved.

They have just finished the drive by here, after 6 months of several vans going around.

125.237.107.252

Let me know if I'm home

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:30 am

I just looked, my street wasn't photographed. Laughing

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:44 am

^^ It's not all uploaded yet Reaper, it may take a while till your palatial mansion is featured Very Happy

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:10 am

My location isn't on there either. Very Happy

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:16 am

My street isn't on there either. But even if it was, my house is way at the end of a long twisty driveway back in the woods. So I have nothing to worry about. Smile

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:18 am

re. privacy, they apparently made all car license plates unreadable, like here in Paris:

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:19 am

I like it

I don't really see it as an invasion of privacy. There is nothing there but pictures taken from the street. It's available to anyone who drives by so I don't see much of a difference.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:24 am

I really don't care either. It's kind of neat really because if you are traveling somewhere that you aren't familiar with, you can get a look at the place before you go. I wish that this had been available in the 80's when a friend and I had to make a trip to Oakland, CA. We had to go on the bad side of town but didn't know it until we got there.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:50 am

^^^ SB, you went to Oakland? I live by Hayward! And the whole town is "the wrong side of the tracks"! Just kidding. Montclair is the rich part. And Piedmont.

And no one get angry at me. Because I lived in Oakland for the first 6 years of my life. And we were robbed. So we got the heck out of there. And we've been happy ever since.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:25 am

There has been google cars spotted around the UK but none seem to be online yet

am gonna run along side one and see how many times i can get myself in a picture

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:49 am

Cool tool.

Although I saw my colleagues wife on it today... which can't be cool for him.

That said, anyone can take a photo of your house at any time, this is just the same but multiplied.

Just don't let Al-Qaeda know about it...

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:00 am

Red wrote:

Cool tool.

Although I saw my colleagues wife on it today... which can't be cool for him.

what was she doing lol

Fixed quote tags - SB Wink

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:32 am

So, I assume that a lot of the pics haven't been put on the site yet? The only places I can see are large cities and surrounds in the US and a hefty chunk of Oz. Nothing for UK, Europe, Asia (except Japan), Africa (damn!), Canada or South America. I'll contact them and ask for my reggo to be obscured.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:36 am

Jimmy_Jones wrote:

Red wrote:

Cool tool.

Although I saw my colleagues wife on it today... which can't be cool for him.

what was she doing lol

Let's just say she wasn't exactly home looking after the kids...

J/k, i'm sure that was her brother in the photo hugging her...

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:39 am

Not bloody happy. I was painting gateposts when the asshats drove past.

Did I *give* them permission to capture my image or likeness on that day? Were the public informed of this event beforehand, so they could object to, or take measures to ensure their privacy wasn't breached?

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:45 am

Legally it is not a breach of privacy.

Anyone can take a photo of you walking down the street, and CCTV takes thousands of hours of footage every day.

Ethically... well... that's a different story...

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:02 am

That is because you don't have an expectation of privacy standing in the full view of the public.

Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:06 am

Tell that to my neighbour...

Pretty hard to miss the pool antics when your study over looks their patio... Rolling Eyes

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