If you want something to rant about.. try this.
Goto Google maps and type in your own address.

Then...watch and learn.

Ask yourself this....what went on, between who.. that your home is pictured from the street view ?

I wonder where this could lead?

Interesting topic polycarp. In some instances advances in technology are out-pacing society's comfort zone or ability to deal with, sometimes unforseen, consequences. Privacy is one of those issues.

Another article on this mentioned the possibility of young children being pictured at a specific location. So blurring facial images (as mentioned in the link below) would not change the fact that a young child or children reside at a particular addresss. Perhaps Google could simply opt not to upload pictures that display children if that was a concern.

There has been some press coverage on this issue of late:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/smile-australia-youre-on-googles-candid-camera/1235401.aspx

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/google-gives-a-downtoearth-glimpse/1235334.aspx

I'm shocked polycarp, I thought you would be one of those kinds of people who would say 'If you've got nothing to hide, why are you worried' :-)

'Perhaps Google could simply opt not to upload pictures that display children if that was a concern. '
Enter the paedogeddon paranoia:-)

Privacy is dead really. A lot of young people don't even understand the concept, and like to exhibit every aspect of their lives on Facebook/MySpace. Although maybe they wouldn't like it if they couldn't doctor the content for best impressions with the famous MySpace Angle, making every picture of themselves look very flattering. I find it hard to understand this world of over-sharing personal information.

It did occur to me if you were a burglar, it would be easy to browse through google maps rather than staking out the houses to see which is easiest to break into. On that note, did you know there is a web site that locates all the vacant houses in Sydney in an exercise to rubbish claims of a housing shortage?

I don't know how you can really do anything about it though. It's public space, and they have a complaints process, and they smear faces.

Google maps is really good in that it identifies where all the secret military bases and such are located, by blurring them out. Ah, the cleverness of the governments of the world.

That's the real problem I think. If you look at the stupid attempts at porn filters it's proof the government are out of their depth when it comes to technology.

"'Perhaps Google could simply opt not to upload pictures that display children if that was a concern. '
Enter the paedogeddon paranoia:-)"

I was waiting for that one. :)

Not paranoid but mindful and it is an issue raised in the linked article US and my comment was merely to provide a solution if that was a concern.

Personally I think privacy is important for kids and adults and something that is being continually eroded by governments and businesses under the auspices of national security, crime or commercial expediency.

What is wrong with seeing pictures on the internet when all one has to do is drive down the street and see the same thing. Google are not coming into our houses and photographing inside.
I can hardly imagine peadophiles using Google streetview to find pictures of children. I've already uploaded all my school photos on freindsreunited.com, it's easier to look there.
I think this site is very interesting. I looked up all the old houses where I've lived in the past to see how they've changed. At work we were able to show each other what our streets looked like. If freinds have moved a long way, you can get a good idea what it is like for them in their new home before you visit.
As far as photographing people's homes. This is not an offence and never has been. Camera's have been around for over 150 years now.

Google Earth is possibly a bigger risk to privacy except that most images are currently low resolution and not current. The part of my home visible from the street is clearly not private, anybody driving down the street can see in. I accept that and have arranged fences and gates accordingly.

My backyard is much more private from my perspective and longer term as technology develops further that may be the bigger concern privacy wise. The real privacy risks from these technologies is capability creep. Right now what is visible is only a risk if something was visible which you wanted private when the photo's were taken. I heard from a commentator that one woman discovered that her brother in law who she was having an affair with had his car in her driveway when the photo's were taken - opps.

Google Map may become a more serious privacy risk if at some stage in the future they start getting live feeds from street mounted camera's, none in my street now but they are becoming much more common in CBD areas and as that technology develops they may spread to the burbs. That seems unlikely right now but it's possible to imagine some reasons why it might seem like a good idea at the time.

Google Earth may become a bigger concern if the resolution is enhanced so that the level of detail is enhanced.

R0bert

Could I "go for obscene exposure"?
fluff4

Hmm, usually when it comes to issues of civil rights and privacy, I'm one of the first cabs off the rank to object to unwarranted intrusion.

Google Earth however, doesn't really bother me for some reason. It seems to me that most of these risks are pretty... well, if I try really hard I guess I can envision circumstances where it creates problems, but ultimately I don't see it as much of a violation of privacy as issues related to personal information.

I mean, we can all walk down the street and peering over someone's backyard fence, while rude, is hardly a life-shattering invasion. Sure, Google Earth makes it easier and yes it's on a much grander scale, but... I dunno.
As for the 'fear for the children' again I class it as one of those things that you can't stop, and those who try are panicking needlessly. I sex predator can just as easily get a van and drive down a street, trying to spot children.
We don't ban vans. All we can do is take a few sensible precautions, and make sure cooler heads prevail instead of giving in to the paranoid few.

I just typed in my address and I am clealy recognisible, bringing the bin in from the roadside (it must have been a Wednesday). I am pictured twice, standing at the bin and walking it back to my house so the car must have passed by, turned at the top or bottom of the street, and come back again.

I'm not sure how privacy laws are as I thought that someone needed permission to publish photos of anyone. I hope they don't start doing backyards in the summer as I have been known to lie out naked due to my high fences and plant cover.

AS IF a potential offender is gonna use google to search potential targets. Puh-lease, talk about hysteria. The only google they'll using for that sort of stuff is googling porn...

Upgrading your Google Earth to pro and using that to survey potential LARGE scale break in targets is something else. Getting the layout of army barracks, the layout of nuclear plants etc etc is definitely an issue, but a photo of your street being a major threat?. C'mon people.

I'd be more concerned about why companies collate all your financial and lifestyle info. You don't think there's a list of everything you spend your money on somewhere?.

How about having no rights when you're being held by the feds...

THAT is more concerning than a picture of my front door. Big deal, drive past you'll get a better layout.

TRTL
I tend to agree with you but if there are concerns they can be easily alleviated by Google's plans to blur number plates or faces as appropriate.

Just had a vision of a husband or wife Earth Googling their address to find their best friend leaving the house during working hours with their spouse's car parked in the drive. :)

pelican wrote:

"Just had a vision of a husband or wife Earth Googling their address to find their best friend leaving the house during working hours with their spouse's car parked in the drive. :)"

Amusing idea. :)

Seriously though, that car's not going to be passing very often. There are dozens of more likely ways such a carelessly run fling could be discovered.

And to the OP:

If you're worried about privacy, you should probably think before *inviting thousands of people to enter their home addresses into a web form*! (Although they probably would have anyway: it's going to be the first thing a lot of people enter, and necessary if you want it to give you directions, etc.)

Personally, while these systems certainly give me pause, this one worries me comparatively little. We're talking about one undated snapshot of the outside of a dwelling sometime in the last 6 months - nearby threats can already access this view (or a view a thousand times better), while distant threats are -- well, mostly quite distant.

Better to worry about what you're actively and voluntarily giving away on web-sites; and worry about the Go card (or other transport smartcard).

In fact, I've heard about this big thick book you can get with everyone's names, addresses, and phone numbers. The Powers That Be have had the audacity to name this the "White Pages", but I know its black, black purpose! (Just kidding; I'm not really afraid of the White Pages, but it's easier to abuse than Google Street View.)