Technically Geeking: Richies Riot Over Google Street View
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a new blogumn by Justin Time
I’m a geek. And I like cars. That’s why last week I was captivated by a story about the geekiest car of all – the Google Street View Car. If you don’t know what this is, it’s a regular car onto which Google straps a camera and drives around taking pictures for their Street View feature on Google Maps. This tool comes in handy for prospective home buyers who use these images to get an idea of what a real estate listing looks like in the real world. I’ve used it when browsing Craigslist rentals to check out the surrounding neighborhood.
Google began photographing the world in 2001 — first by satellite, then by car. Along the way, there have been a few complaints and failed lawsuits, filed mostly by individuals inadvertently caught doing embarrassing things, but the red-handed, red-faced citizens never managed to slow Google down. Until last week, that is, when the good people of Broughton, England, made a stand and actually chased the Gcar out of town.
Evidently, the concerned Broughton residents felt their posh homes would be more in danger of crooks figuring out the best ways to sneak in and steal their potted meat if the Street View images made their way online:
“This is an affluent area,” resident Paul Jacobs told The Times of London. “We’ve already had three burglaries locally in the past six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google, it’s an invitation for more criminals to strike. I was determined to make a stand, so I called the police.”
Now I’m not opposed to protecting privacy, but this is just plain silly. Wouldn’t it be more effective for a burglar to properly case the joint in person, wearing a gas company jump suit, and figure out if the target house has 1) a dog 2) an alarm system and 3) anything good to burgle? Any thief that limits their pre-crime prep research to blurry images online needs to go back to bad-guy school.
Google responded by saying that they are not doing anything illegal. They understand some people are not comfortable with Street View images of their homes, and they have a page with instructions for removing them.
I feel for the paranoid folks of Broughton, however, because it sounds like they will be getting more than their just dessert. Not only is their tiny village now internationally known as a good target for burglars, but a bunch of Twitter users have tweeted their plan to snub the Broughton villagers by showing up in droves to snap their own photos of the shy residents’ homes.
Now that’s just cold.
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I love google maps. Any time I'm looking at a house the first thing I do is look at it on Google maps
I love google maps. Any time I'm looking at a house the first thing I do is look at it on Google maps
In Pittsburgh a group of folks did a great "performance art" thing when the Gcar came by – check out people escaping from third floor windows, a marching band in the street, a fake marathon group, and even a sword fight!
http://www.streetwithaview.com/scenes.html
I think this would be cool if google would always tell people when they're coming so we can all get into the picture in a creative way!
ha – i love the sword fight.
It would be great element to a viral marketing campaign. Fox has been doing a similar thing with "Fringe", having the Observer actor appear in character at various events, blurring that line between fact and fiction.
I adore that Fringe campaign. And I woud've totally gotten a group together and done something if I had known when the google van was coming to my neighborhood. I wonder how people find out when it's coming. Justin do you know?
Me, too! So much that could be done!
In Pittsburgh a group of folks did a great "performance art" thing when the Gcar came by – check out people escaping from third floor windows, a marching band in the street, a fake marathon group, and even a sword fight!
http://www.streetwithaview.com/scenes.html
I think this would be cool if google would always tell people when they're coming so we can all get into the picture in a creative way!
ha – i love the sword fight.
It would be great element to a viral marketing campaign. Fox has been doing a similar thing with "Fringe", having the Observer actor appear in character at various events, blurring that line between fact and fiction.
I adore that Fringe campaign. And I woud've totally gotten a group together and done something if I had known when the google van was coming to my neighborhood. I wonder how people find out when it's coming. Justin do you know?
Me, too! So much that could be done!
I think a thief is going to find a way to break into the home they want to break into with or without Google.
I don't imagine they sit on Google earth and pick there next target.
I think a thief is going to find a way to break into the home they want to break into with or without Google.
I don't imagine they sit on Google earth and pick there next target.
Wow, great link Brian. We should all do that next time they come round.
Wow, great link Brian. We should all do that next time they come round.
The amateur survivalist in me understands the need to live off the grid and at least be able to keep a little of yourself private. The futurist in me however thinks that these English villagers should accept that this is advancement and they're really going to appreciate stuff like google street view by 2020, when police officers use satellite to track down the crims that stole their priceless heirlooms. Wait for it…
The amateur survivalist in me understands the need to live off the grid and at least be able to keep a little of yourself private. The futurist in me however thinks that these English villagers should accept that this is advancement and they're really going to appreciate stuff like google street view by 2020, when police officers use satellite to track down the crims that stole their priceless heirlooms. Wait for it…
I don't think there is any easy way to find out. Maybe if we had an inside man at the Santa Monica HQ. But I found some more interesting links related to this story:
1. Pittsburgh couple suing Google for privacy invasion:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0…
2. More funny shots on Street View, found in UK:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11…
I don't think there is any easy way to find out. Maybe if we had an inside man at the Santa Monica HQ. But I found some more interesting links related to this story:
1. Pittsburgh couple suing Google for privacy invasion:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0…
2. More funny shots on Street View, found in UK:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11…