Last week I noticed one of these vehicles on my local high street and realised that the Google 'Big Brother' spy had arrived in the UK.
The Google Earth spy car takes images
of individual streets for inclusion on the
StreetView website
Plans by Google to photograph millions of British homes and publish them online have been condemned as a 'gross invasion of privacy'.
The internet giant's StreetView website will allow anyone in the world to type in a UK address or postcode and instantly see a 360-degree picture of the street.
It will include close-ups of buildings, cars and people. Critics say the site is a 'burglar's charter' that makes it easy for criminals to check out potential victims.
The pictures also show people leaving and entering hospitals, health clinics, adult shops and hotels. Although their faces are deliberately blurred, many could still be recognised by their clothing and hair colour.
The site was launched in major American cities last year.
Google has confirmed it is now in the process of photographing Britain as part of the Street View project.
Cars emblazoned with the company's logo and carrying massive 360-degree cameras have been spotted circling the streets of British cities in recent weeks.
The data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's office, is so concerned about StreetView that it has written to Google demanding privacy guarantees.
A Google spokeswoman said: 'Google works hard to make sure that our products respect both users' expectations of privacy, and local privacy laws, in each country in which they are launched. Google Maps Street View is no exception.'
StreetView is designed to complement Google Earth, a collection of satellite pictures that covers every square mile of the globe.
Google Earth has come under fire for the level of detail in its overhead pictures, which have become enormously popular.
The pictures don't just show which homes have swimming pools or tennis courts, they can reveal the model and colour of cars, whether gardens have furniture and even sunbathers lying outside.
Critics say the site can be used by burglars planning escape routes from homes and by terrorists looking for military bases.
The site has even been used by teenagers arranging unauthorised swimming parties in unoccupied homes.
Users of the new StreetView website can either browse maps of towns before clicking on a street view, or type in an address or postcode.
By clicking on arrows on the screen, users will feel like they are walking down the street and will be able to look right, left or behind them during their virtual tour.
The images show which homes belong to wealthy owners, which have easy access for burglars, which have expensive cars parked outside and which have alarm boxes.
And although the pictures are not 'live' - they will be updated once every few years - the website has also raised concerns about people photographed by the roving cameras.
In Britain, anyone is allowed to take a picture of a house or a street and put it on the Internet. But if some pictures show the inside of someone's house, even inadvertently, then homeowners could show their privacy has been breached under common law.
Similarly, we are legally entitled to take pictures of people, even complete strangers, and post them on the Internet. But if a man is photographed walking past an adult store - but not going in - giving the wrong impression that he is a customer, then the image could defame his character.
(Daily Mail)
Full article at:
You may also like to go to: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/
Note: 'Streetview' can only be found on 'Google Maps' and NOT on 'Google Earth' as the article suggests.
(Click on image to enlarge)
