Street View, Privacy & You

[Films4You]

Helpful to crime

[idle44]

Actualy, I like street view. It's great fun taking a 'virtual drive' from one place to another. Seriously, I use it to hone my knowledge of architecture and streetscape. I didn't realise this arguament was taking place here. I thought it was the province of the Daily Mail ex-colonels and their frightfully posh wives!

[pcsingsnap]

happy day's i did confront him the other day in my street -this is the amusing thinghe was more than willing to help and provide the following :

GOOGLE head office address to have all photos removed if you want that done

GOOGLE ; Belgrave House 76Buckingham palace Road , London SW1W 9TQ there contact Number is 02073462128 the more people complain the more likely they are to stop doing it.

[gazman1970]

Read my above comment!

This taken from Uk photographers rights guide 2009: "Private Property- Owners of private property do not normally have the right to prevent someone from taking photographs of their property from a public place such as a public highway."

A la Street View!

Yes you own the copyright to your own photos, but I can photograph your house from the street and I'll own the copyright to those pictures. Accept it!!

Stop grasping at straws........

[MaoriWrasse]

This comment shows a total disregard for, and inability to respect, people's feelings about their own need for privacy to be respected. Yes, you might be 'legally' entitled to take such photographs, but you are missing the point entirely about what it means in terms of people's feelings. Isn't this is what makes us human?

[gazman1970]

Yes I am legally entitled to take photographs in a PUBLIC street, do you want to make it illegal? Are you part of the do-gooder, blue rinse, PC brigade that is trying to stop us doing everything, well are you?

I live in a tourist city where hundreds of houses are photographed everyday by tourists, shall we confront them in the street and accuse them of breaching our rights to privacy???? Well shall we?

Idiot.......

[pcsingsnap]

you still havent answered the question do you work for google gaz? im bored now with this yawn...

[gazman1970]

I did answer it earlier, but just once more, no I don't work for google, I just don't see what all the fuss is for, it is after all basically just a 3D map, using images of the street isn't it?

I'm also very bored of this too....

I hope you managed to remove your house off streetview pcsingsnap.......

[gazman1970]

Any photos YOU take yourself of your property are your copyright, the actual facade of your house is NOT your copyright, so I CAN come to your house and take photos of it myself WITHOUT breach of copyright. You talk BOLLOCKS!

[gazman1970]

You have no choice as to whether your house photo is published, there is no copyright on buildings, you cannot do anything about somebody uploading a picture which contains your house, so long as the picture was taken from a PUBLIC place (ie the street!)

[gazman1970]

You are entitled to privacy IN your own property. You can't expect privacy in your front garden for instance, as it's viewable from the street. If you can be seen IN your property on SV, then you can be seen from the view in the street, simple? Would you walk around your house naked if your window can be seen from the street?

[pcsingsnap]

Oh and with the argument on walking roung my living room naked on view of the street if wished to do that I would because its "my choice" and I CHOOSE to do it if any one see's me Im not bothered . Im in my Home.

[gazman1970]

Yes you CAN choose to walk around your living room naked in view of the street, but would you expect to sue anyone who sees you from the street for breach of your privacy and human rights? No you are likely to be arrested yourself for indecency. How the table has turned.

[gazman1970]

So, your not bothered if someone were to see you walking naked around your living room, but your are concerned if someone can see your street on 'Street View'? How bizarre!

[swcoast]

but isn't quite a big difference? How many people walk around the streets naked?

[swcoast]

Actually, I may have taken it out of context. Forget what I said.

[whatisitfawlty]

I expect that people who object to this for daft reasons like it could be used to aid criminals, are the same sort of twit that thinks that 911 was an inside job and diana was murdered!

[vantyghem]

If it can be proved that a person used your street

video to commit a crime then you lay yourselves

open to be taken to court for compensation as you

effectively was an ''accessorey before the fact.''

Your answer I await with intersest + ''Your Duty

Of Care '' to the public surely comes to to question

[gazman1970]

Unlikely....How can someone prove that SV was used to commit a crime? Wasn't most of this filmed over a year ago?

So are you saying that if someone uploads a video (which may show similar content to SV) which someone else could 'somehow??' use to commit a crime, the person who uploads that video is an accessory to that crime?!!

[gazman1970]

If someone uses an Ordnance Survey map to plan a robbery, are OS then an accessory to the crime too? Don't be stupid.

[gazman1970]

I don't, believe it or not, I just don't understand all the panic over nothing.

[13Kiki84]

How many more people have2b subjected to violence b4 people realise things like StreetView can put people's lives in danger!? How can we ask for an image to be removed if we don't actually KNOW we have been photographed and broadcast on StreetView?

[gazman1970]

Nonsense. And you know it.

[13Kiki84]

There are people out there trying to escape from domestic violence and, if a perp knows the rough location he/she lives in, then using StreetView could be easy to find their victim again! I KNOW a woman who was on witness protection but was tracked down using StreetView and her ex attacked her and left her in hospital.

[gazman1970]

I KNOW your talking nonsense.

[Taniquas]

I recently moved and my crazy ex-boyfriend found a way to track me down, told me about my house and car in the driveway. And a restraining order doesn't mean S*** when he decides to make his move and I actually end up dead this time. This is a huge violation of privacy and it is putting people at risk! I can understand places of business, restuarants, stores, etc, but I live far away from all that. You can see my whole property clear as day. I'm so pissed off.

[jazzyjeph]

Are you saying your ex got the details from Google Street maps and tracked you down ? or did he find out where you live elsewhere? because what is the difference between finding your details and using a map to find your address and this? and there are millions of photographs of residential areas around already sometimes included in other photo's (birds, landscape etc.) I really dont understand the mad panic about this.

[Taniquas]

This is absolutely ridiculous! How is it ok to post images of residential areas? What has happened to these people? It's bad enough that all a person has to do is type in your name on the net and they're able to come up with your address and phone number, but now they can take a look at my house and neighborhood too!

[colind1961]

What about the basic right to privacy? Google have gone too far. My mother is 88 years old, her house may or may not be on Street View, I'm not saying, but all the local scum can potentially look at her house and size it up for burglary from the comfort of their homes. How can this possibly be for the good? How many crimes are Google assisting with this stupid, intrusive and shamelessly immoral probing into our lives?

[gazman1970]

How many times am I going to have this argument? What do you mean right to privacy, SV shows public streets, which as I've said countless times on here, anyone can drive up anyway. Burglars are generally opportunist thieves, seeing maybe a window open and the house in darkness etc, I really can't see the 'local scum' sat on SV searching for your ma's house, it also won't show them anything you can't see from the street anyway, so I don't understand all this worrying, you'll make yourself ill man

[joshuaw00d]

Oh no if only there was some way to stop people from using google streetview to look at my house! Oh wait there is... They have said numerous times that this can be done, so please people get your facts right before you start crying. Also just remember how many people are actually going to spend their days just travelling around on streetview. Doing it for the kids! If you really care about kids try and keep them off drugs.

[smootube123]

i wonder how many of the cameras picked up crime? or how many ppl got done for parkin on double yellows!! you know the police are gona have the uncensored images. big brother state...

i do like being able to take a virtual walk tho =]

[Geefor]

Of course any burglar can walk up and down past my house and case the joint, BUT he can't see the hidden parts like if I have a shed full of valuable tools, another way into my property and so on - which he can on Google. This is a snooper's charter. Google is a 'business' and our Orwellian Government did not stand in it's way. I note Google's UK boss's home is not allowed to be googled! Wonder why?

'I have nothing to fear - I don't do anything wrong' brigade are naive to the extreme.

[gazman1970]

Are you thinking of Google Earth, not StreetView?? StreetView is photographed from the street out the front of your house, how does that show other ways into your house and your shed full of tools? Please please please stop panicking, you'll end up in an early grave......

[ohdingobongo]

Welcome to your friendly Orwellian society where privacy is almost a swearword, where Government and private companies can point a camera and your car, your home, your garden and at you, as they gather ever more information to bleed you dry of your humanity.

Anyone who says 'I have nothing to hide therefore the world can interrogate my life' are fools, and exactly what the State and private companies want.

The public truly are stupid, otherwise they would not allow it.

[fromscotland]

People are far too harsh on google. Councils put up webcams all the time and I can look at my city centre real time but as soon as Google does anything it's a horrible invasion of privacy. I think looking at my house down a street is awesome and if someone was going to break into a house I don't think this would be the number 1 way to do it.

[Geefor]

My council is 'elected'. Google is a 'business' - one day you'll wake up, but it will be too late by then!

[demise3601]

k i understand if your caught sunbathing or doing something embarassing but removing your house or somethin is just ruining it !

[PrinceGaz]

I don't get why people are upset by this. If your house happens to have windows open whilst Google's van was driving past, so what? There's no way of telling if you were in at the time. A bugler walking down the street in person could collect much more information about likely targets as he will be able to assess far more detail about the house and neighbouring properties based on the time of day, even with just a quick glance upwards. They don't need to stare at a house to see a way in.

[OrkneyGun]

Burglars Beware we watch you too !!

[gazman1970]

Why don't we build 20ft walls around our homes so they cannot be seen from the street? Why don't we have encrypted number plates that only police cameras can read? Should we all walk around with KKK type sacks over our heads in public? GET A GRIP!!!!

[gazman1970]

I can't believe the levels of stupidity shown here. Are we to expect SKY to blur all faces of supporters at football stadiums, which are often live, in case someone should be recognised there? Are the BBC to stop filming the news outside anymore in case we should drive by in the backround and be spotted somewhere our other halves wouldn't want us to be? Should we close down Youtube altogether in case a youth uploads a clip of his mates which has someone recognisable walking by in the backround?

[neoanderson33]

Another sick thing to come out of the wood works. We all have a right to privacy and this is yet another violation - live feed or not! I can see all the crap that I keep on my window seal and it winds me up.. this is just another thing added to my 'why I hate Human Beings' list.. thanks. You, the governments (who you work for?) , and anyone else who puts themselves in a position to make descisions with out thought for us "little people" will one day get the shock of your lives..it is inevitable.

[slowcharlotte]

i wonder if the google-team gets busier after this vid came out? cos many people would definitely ask their "whatever" to be blurred/deleted~

[deadlychip]

so who do you email / call if you want your car plate blurred - you dont even need good eye sight to read the plate on my drive - no blurr whatsoever

[NAS070484]

I think it is very stupid! We are being set up to be robbed all our home contents can be seen and so can faces,the blur isnt worth them putting it on.Who gives them the right to do this,they dont own our homes!

[gazman1970]

We think you're being stupid......All your home contents must be viewable from the street then? If we can see it on 'street view', then obviously anyone can see all your home contents from the street, which we can walk/drive up any time of any day....Like we've always been allowed to do...ADVICE- put up some nets over your windows if we can see the family silver from the street.

[JojoDav1]

Sorry mate but millions of people can access this, millions of people don't walk up and down my street don't know about yours!!!!

[gazman1970]

Sorry mate back, but you say millions can access this, it is also true that millions 'CAN' walk down your street, just because they don't doesn't mean they can't....It's a PUBLIC STREET!!!

[eibonvale]

This StreetView is absolutely awesome - i don't know how Google has done it, but they have provided some truly amazing things. Being able to take a stroll down streets all over the world is unbelievable. Especially for trying to get a sense of the atmosphere of a place thousands of miles away. It is really depressing to see everyone harping on about privacy as i really don't see how this can be anything other than a good thing. The world is there to see - so why shouldn't we see it this way?

[robitsme]

The problem is when it becomes real time (live) They have the technology to do it now. If abused, every street, driveway will be live, allowing them to see everything you are doing.

[eibonvale]

Yes i agree that would be catastrophic! But surely that is not what Street view is about?? That is the realm of Surveillance. Street view is just a clever little civilian system for giving you a feel for a place at a distance. The military may already have satellites that can read car numbers (though certainly not in real time!) - now THAT is scary. Not this! I think the wonderful benefits of StreetView far outweigh any slight risk caused by having your house photographed!

[AntmystaOnline]

I really like google street view. Its such a great addition and makes it so much easier for me to plan my journey.

[Channnnel420]

Outside my house there is a car whos number plate is not blured, it is clearly readable, also a pensioner standing yards from the car does not have her face blurred.

I would make a video showing just how poor the blurring technology is, but then i would also be guilty of infringing privacy.

[AntmystaOnline]

report it then, So extra blurring can be put on the picture.

[Malteser17]

Having observed an elderly relative outside their house I believe they are now a possible target. Dont know how to explain the problem to them; they do not realy understand google and google map. Thanks for putting them, and all other elderly and infirm, at greater risk.

[simplelife88393]

Don't be silly, it's a still image.

[oldskald]

What bugs me is the sheer effrontery of this. If the buildings featured are public or commercial, fair enough - I can see a point to this service. However, what point is there in showing private residences? What permission was sought or gained? True, anyone can walk along my street and take a pic then post it, but they won't have Google's clout. I feel like posting pics of Larry Brin's place and see how he likes it...

[RestWithin]

Invasion of privacy. As the camera is high up on the van the photographs reveal right inside the windows of the houses. If someone stood on a ladder outside my house taking photographs I'd confront him - any decent person wouldn't continue. Society decides which are the rights and the wrongs. I think we should take it to our MPs. (I wonder if Google will publish this comment).

[gazman1970]

It's not real time as the video clearly states, so how can stalkers/criminals do anything they couldn't do before? I don't understand your comment.

[gazman1970]

Your house is in full view for everyone, it's on a PUBLIC STREET!!!! which anyone can access. Are you trying to say we aren't allowed to look at your house? If I wished to, I could come and photograph your house from the street, it is not illegal to do so! Stop being so paranoid.

[oldskald]

Anyone can look at my house. The issue here is publishing those images, rather than being able to see someone walking along the street and perhaps ask them what they are up to (politely) as they are looking at everyone's houses. There's no way to do that when some criminal is doing his initial recon from the comfort of home. This just makes it easier, and you might be happy about it, but I'm not.

[gazman1970]

Crikey, do you worry about everything oldskald? So what if someone can look at your house on the internet instead of having to be in the street to view it. There is no more imformation available in a still image than what can be seen if your there in person...I can photograph your house from the street if I wished to, it's not illegal, and if you asked me what I was doing I wouldn't have to tell you, it's NOT illegal, understand?

[JojoDav1]

What about the photo's that have peoples kids in them? If you went round taking pictures of my house with my kids in the garden I'd have you arrested, and just because some of us don't want to live in 1984 doesn't make us wrong, we have no privacy anymore, unless your a criminal of course!!!!

[gazman1970]

It's not illegal to photograph kid's, even other peoples, so no you couldn't have anyone arrested as you wrongly suggest. Yes we don't like it, but it's not illegal...

You have the same privacy you had before living on a PUBLIC street. Please stop being so silly....

[JojoDav1]

Your opinion is your opinion but I just see this as the start of Big brother taking over.

Also I beg to differ about photographing kids as I was once threatened with arrest because my CCTV camera had picked up some kids playing football, I was told it was an offence to photograph or video minors. whether deliberate or accidental.

[gazman1970]

You have been wrongly threatened with arrest, it is not an offence to photograph minors, nor has it ever been, don't believe everything the police say, they don't know everything, especially it seems, the law.

[lordtuck36]

I think it's great -thanks google

[2yng2di]

Someone is going to be hurt or killed, eventually, because they have been identified in a certain place. This is so irresponsible.

[byrab]

A great tool for terroists

[Zantorc]

....because otherwise they wouldn't be able to find the Houses of Parliament? Oh wait a minute they could use a map - lets ban those as well.

[gazman1970]

Please byrab, explain what terrorists can do with a view of a PUBLIC street? I don't understand. Could we not drive down any of these streets ourselves filming/photographing if we wished to?? It's NOT illegal.....

[blackberryhill]

WTF? I think you backward idiots are kind of missing the point of this tool, and vastly over-estimating its capability.

[blackberryhill]

I think the point is, I'm clearly speaking for many. And thanks for your sophisticated response - that clearly endorses the credibility of all your other posts. Oh dear.

[MaoriWrasse]

Quite! Pretty abusive actually, wouldn't you say? Then, as you point out . . .