back to article Street View operatives object to being snapped

Edinburgh's Evening News has discovered that, when it comes to personal privacy, Google's Street View is a strictly one-way thoroughfare. The paper was alerted yesterday that several examples of the Orwellian spycar fleet were being prepared for action at a disused garage site in Drum Brae South. It duly dispatched a snapper …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wonder

    I wonder if the reason they didn't want their faces shown was fear of peoples reactions as a result of overly inflammatory articles like these?

  2. Pete Silver badge

    The photographer's first mistake

    was to identify himself.

    Since he was not doing anything naughty, and the people who approached him had no powers to require his personal information, there was no reason for him to say anything to them. I suppose it's all part of the british (and/or scottish?) trait of giving in to people who present themselves as authoritative. Better, when faced with someone demanding information, is to ask them "who are you".

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Bring it on bitch!

    Bollocks to 'em... let 'em sue. That'll be a fun conversation to play out in front of a judge.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Re: The photographer's first mistake

    "I suppose it's all part of the british (and/or scottish?) trait of giving in to people who present themselves as authoritative."

    Last time I checked Scotland was part of Britain, Pete.

  5. Mike Moyle

    I wonder...

    ...what a batch of "Gppgle sucks", "Google, go home!", "We use Scroogle", etc. signs showing up on the spymobiles' photos would do.

  6. Angus Ireland

    Drum Brae South?

    That's as maybe but anyone who lives in Portobello in the North-East of the city knows that a Google car actually lives down Bath Street. I've seen it parked overnight there. So hah!

  7. censored
    Thumb Up

    Oh the irony...

    They're in a public place, therefore cannot object to being photographed.

  8. Nic Brough
    Pirate

    From what I can remember

    The photographer wasn't doing anything illegal, and there's no right to privacy in this country, otherwise we could all be suing the google cars. I'd happily support some form of class action - one of the google cars went past me the other day (already marked on map)

  9. Blinkin Flip
    Black Helicopters

    Flightless Black Helicopter Sighted today

    I spotted one of these sinister Orwellian spycars on my way to work today as it left Chesterfield, heading for the Peak District.

    Sadly, by the time I had reached for my camera they had cloaked and engaged their hyperdrive, leaving only a faint impression of a black helicopter with the rotor-blades removed.

    I thought I caught a brief glimpse of the driver - was it really Paris? I think we should be told.

  10. LJ
    Paris Hilton

    Not surprising

    Google makes its living by scraping people's websites (and blames the website operator if their excessive botting kills the site), yet objects strenuously to people scraping theirs.

    Why should taking photos of people be any different?

    Paris, 'cos she loves a good scraping. I hear.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    well

    If memory serves don't google blur faces?

    Anyway if the dribbling psychotics here on the register comments boards are anything to go by then the Google guys do have something to worry about as the common man on the average street probably think that the cameras will eat their souls steal their babies and bomb their planes.

  12. Ash

    1. Post the pictures

    2. Be sued.

    3. Realise google can't win in court.

    4. Have the legal battle go on until you're declared bankrupt.

    5. ...

    6. !Profit!

  13. Stuart
    Unhappy

    Photoshot

    One day you are a big hitter with Lehman Brothers, The next you are lucky to be a big snapper with Google. Yes, I'd want to keep my face hidden too.

  14. Pete Silver badge

    @Joe

    Thank-you Joe.

    I was in a bit of a no-win. If I'd just said "british" I'd've expected comments about Scottishness, so I copped out with the and/or bit :-)

  15. Peyton
    Paris Hilton

    Afraid of reprisals

    Well it's understandable they wouldn't want people to know they're part of the street view team. I'm sure it's to protect their anonymity that they drive around in those unassuming cars... that, erm, have a giant camera strapped to the roof.

  16. Stuart Harrison
    Unhappy

    No2ID

    I'm really disappointed that an otherwise fantastic organisation is getting themselves involved in this tabloid overreaction of a non-story. So, Google are taking pictures of people's faces in the street and publishing them on the internet, so what? Passers by are filmed and photographed on a daily basis and their visages are beamed all over the world - are all newspapers, TV stations etc therefore evil privacy invaders too? I think not. And don't get me started on the Daily Mail's 'Burglar's Charter' angle - talk about scraping the barrel...

  17. James Pickett

    Gander sauce

    "it did not want staff to be hindered in any way"

    And how does taking a photograph do that? Or were they posing..?

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Google Good Goose Gander

    fricking hypocrites.

    Yes no one likes having their picture taken, apart from narcissitic wallys, and of course anyone could find their security diminished if a picture is taken of them. That's sort of why no one really wants google to do this street view thing.

    And those satellite photographs are a bit off as well. If someone was planning some sort of burgularly, invasion etc etc, kinda useful to not have to do reconnaisance by foot. Google steps over the line all the time, I think they should rebrand to Evil Geniuses Incorporated and be done with it.

  19. JT2008
    Flame

    @Wonder

    "I wonder if the reason they didn't want their faces shown was fear of peoples reactions as a result of overly inflammatory articles like these?"

    I wonder where you get your logic from ...a pretzel box, prehaps.

    What a load of tripe.

  20. Garth
    Stop

    Bunch of prats

    You people realize that when you show up on a google picture for their streetview dealy it is because effectively got in the way? Nobody cares that you're in the picture. Everyone would prefer your ugly mug wasn't in the streetview picture. Unless you're sporting whale-tail or something interesting.

  21. chris
    Boffin

    @Stuart Harrison

    The story reads to me like the No2id guy was phoned up by the EEN hack:

    "anythting to say about this?"

    "we don't have a position on..."

    "go on give us a quote"

    "...." etc.

    "this happened. they threatened us"

    "That is an extraordinary situation,.."

    Not involved at all, IMO, just tapped for a quote and took the opportunity to give general points about organisations...

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Post their pictures and their names

    Google's whole Streetview mantra is that anything in plain view from a public street is fair game to photograph and publish on the web. They won't sue, so snap away and post away.

    If the people working for google fear reprisals, then they should get another job. Their "fear" is because they know they are abusing the public.

  23. Haviland

    The cars will be clean, it's one of those foam washes during the day.

    Wondered why I see so many of the buggers - I stay 500m from that garage.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    If you

    Can't take it you shouldn't dish it.

    Paris cos she can do both!

    Efros

  25. Nick Ramsay
    Go

    You need to be quick

    I had one of those outside my office at the end of a cul-de-sac yesterday. By the time I'd got my phone out & put it into camera mode, he was turned around & gone!

  26. Colin P
    Flame

    Faces

    Surely we should remind them of our right to photo anything we feel like and let them know we may of may not blur there faces.

    Flames, because the icon sucks more than Paris...

  27. Samantha Clinton

    Seen...

    in Aylesbury on Sunday afternoon...would have got a picture, if

    a) I wasn't a woman and my phone hadn't have been buried at the bottom of my extremely capacious handbag holding the contents of my life

    b) said phone had been anything other than a Jesusphone, and by the time I'd unlocked it, scrolled and opened the camera the car had vanished round the corner

    c) because I'm too tight to buy a case I'm currently keeping it in a sock...which added valuable seconds to the time spent getting it out

    d)that would have been irrelevant as I can't send sodding picture messages from said Jesusphone

    Also, I think I'm going to have to stop reading El Reg, as no one I have told since has seemed half as excited about the sighting as I was...

  28. Aortic Aneurysm
    Paris Hilton

    No sightings in Fife

    I'm disappointed, Althought I work in Edinburgh, i might just spend this weekend trawling streets of Fife, praying for a sighting. Although, They'd be brave souls to enter some parts of the kingdom, they camera would be broken off quicker than paris drops her pants.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    I keep hoping

    They come up my private drive and I can block them in whilst they're trespassing. Now that's gonna be good fun for all of us!

    Paris, 'cuz she goes by the old Timex watch slogan.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: No sightings in Fife

    Erm... I was caught by the bandits in Dunfermline a few weeks ago.

  31. Aortic Aneurysm

    Re: No sightings in Fife

    Sorry, should have said no *photos* of it yet, well, not uploaded to here anyway.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like