But Jim, the police are recording and filing live CCTV images of you in the street all the time. They have cameras in patrol cars recording everything. They have special camera units to record events and demonstrations to collect evidence for possible prosecutions. They often even have cameras bolted to their helmets. You say “we’d” not allow them to, but what have you ever done to stop it? What could you do?

By contrast, Google’s pictures are single shots, weeks or months old, taken from a public place where anyone could view a scene. The depth of police intrusion is already sooo much more, there’s barely a comparison.

All you have to do is tell google that you dont want your house on google maps and it will be taken off in a short amount of time.

Geeze ppl…. If you were so concerned, you might actually know this. Most of you complainers are just dumb twats that dont even own a house, you just figure your going to complain for the others. Well … YOUR NOT HELPING… GTFO!

…Google Maps shows high-res satalite photos of your house from a top down view, why aren’t you protesting this aswell? A burglar can use this tool just as much as Street View. Infact Google Maps top down view is probably more helpful to burglars than Street View.

Virtual Earth provides not only overhead views, but “Bird Eye” views where you can rotate the image 360° to see all sides of the property in question. And the photos are usually taken in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees so you get an excellent look.

That is how the police can take photos of you as you walk down the street or the automatic teller machine can take your photo when you make a withdrawal.

Anyone can walk down your street and take photos of your home. Anything that can be seen from pubic property is fair game.

And the cop in pursuit on streetview:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=presidio,+ca,+ca&sll= 34.795206,-118.85249&sspn=0,359.990387&ie=UTF8&ll=37.799535,-122.45957 9&spn=0.00412,0.009613&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=37.799607,-122.45953&pano id=jNBw15060GsqcNU0_hojPg&cbp=12,217.9804555843358,,0,5

RT
http://www.anon-tools.cz.tc

You do realise that the UK has the highest CCTV coverage per square mile on the planet? And that everything has at some time been photographed and that most of those photographs are already available online? The only reason google is having to actually drive around taking the pictures is that copyright laws prohibit them from using images that were already taken by existing photographers.

What google is actually doing is what they do in every other line of business – bringing order to unsorted data so that it can be navigated and browsed by ordinary people.

The claim that burglars use it to aid their efforts is rubbish, the burglar can simply have a stroll down the street and see everything that is visible from Google Street View.

Aside from that, Google Maps shows high-res satalite photos of your house from a top down view, why aren’t you protesting this aswell? A burglar can use this tool just as much as Street View. Infact Google Maps top down view is probably more helpful to burglars than Street View.

You are a moron to defend Dick Cheney.

hahahahahaha.

Are you a screwdriver?

You are definitely a tool!

As every picture they take is on a public street, and as they’re only taken once in a great while, I’m not the least bit worried about it. It’s not like it’s constant surveillance (which is what I REALLY worry about).

Yes, some people will misuse it. But even more people will find it useful. Should the people who find it useful be denied it because of the few who will misuse it, or the ones who are worried it will be misused?

Barring some overwhelming argument against it, I’m content to let it continue.

You say it’s entirely legal, and it may be. But here in NYC, if someone is shooting professionally, and/or for money, they’re required to be permitted by the city. You’re generally also required to have model releases for anyone visible in any image published for professional or monetary gain (though that gets fuzzy), even moreso for those under 18. In other parts of the world, even personal photography is heavily monitored (in England and Italy it is illegal to shoot in public parks, because of child predator fears).
So if Google’s cars aren’t licensed in the cities they’re shooting, there could be at least civil difficulties.
That said, I have no problem with them running around compiling images on public streets. If they catch me doing something I shouldn’t, it’s my own fault.

Google goes streetview and all this got picked up by coincidence. Big fat hairy stinking deal. It’s pretty cool until you opened your pseudo-political yap.

You forgot Google executives, who won’t allow Google to photograph their homes.

Google is evil.

The information is already out there is dozens of different formats.

Security thru obscurity is the biggest myth ever (didn’t work for the ostrich with it’s head in the dirt, won’t work for you).