Villagers block Google Street View mapping car in protest over privacy invasion
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A crowd of villagers blocked a Google Street View car taking
photographs of their homes after branding the internet service an
"invitation" for burglars.
Police were called to affluent Broughton, near Milton Keynes,
Buckinghamshire, after residents staged the protest, complaining
the procedure was an invasion of their privacy.
The controversial mapping service gives 360-degree views of roads
and homes from footage taken by a camera mounted on a car.
Paul Jacobs said he leapt into action after seeing the vehicle
driving by his home on Wednesday.
He told The Times: "I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car
driving down the lane.
"My immediate reaction was anger: how dare anyone take a photograph
of my home without my consent. I ran outside to flag the car down
and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also
facilitating crime.
"This is an affluent area. 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."
Street View uses sophisticated technology to obscure the faces of
people featured in photographs, and car registration plates have
been blurred, but many people have labelled the maps voyeuristic
and intrusive.
Scores of pictures, including one of a man leaving a Soho sex shop
and another of a man being sick on a pavement outside a pub, have
been removed.
A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said: "A squad car was sent
to Broughton at 10.20am on Wednesday to reports of a dispute
between a crowd of people and a Google Street View
contractor.
"A member of the public had called us to report that he, along with
a number of others, were standing in the middle of the road
preventing the car from moving forwards and taking
photographs.
"They felt his presence was an intrusion of their privacy. When
police arrived at the scene, the car had moved on."
A Google spokesman said: "Embarking on new projects, we sometimes
encounter unexpected challenges, and Street View has been no
exception.
"We know that some people are uncomfortable with images of their
houses or cars being included in the product, which is why we
provide an easy way to request removal of imagery. Most imagery
requests are processed within hours."
The spokesman added: "We take privacy very seriously, and we were
careful to ensure that all images in our Street View service abide
by UK law.
"Street View only features imagery taken on public property. This
imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or
see walking down the street.
"Imagery of this kind is available in a wide variety of formats for
cities all around the world.
"Before launching Street View we sought the guidance and approval
of the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO has repeatedly
made clear that it believes that Street View includes the
safeguards necessary to protect people's privacy.
"We also consulted with various police forces, including the
Metropolitan Police, about the security concerns around Street
View.
"The Metropolitan Police told us they saw no appreciable security
risk, that burglars are opportunistic, and that mapping products
can be useful in solving and mapping crime in an area."
Mr Jacobs has contacted local MP Mark Lancaster, who is
currently out of the country.
The MP's spokesman, Richard Gates, who witnessed the stand-off,
said residents were "very concerned" about the appearance of the
Google Street View car.
He said: "There were a number of residents out on the street.
"They were very concerned because there have been a number of
burglaries in the area, and this van isn't what they wanted to
see.
"A police car turned up, but no laws were being broken.
"We've got quite a few concerned residents, and we're going to make
sure they are fully aware of how to get their properties removed
from the website."
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