When a couple in Pennsylvania objected to Google Street View, they sued. (And lost.) On the other side of the Pond, those upset by the mapping program that provides 360-degree views at street level got physical.AFP reports the story with the following headline "Angry British villagers stop Google maps car." We love that AFP refers to them as "villagers." It makes us think of the Google Street View car as Frankenstein stumbling into town and the denizens of Broughton, England, warding the car off with torches and pitchforks.
BBC News reports that Paul Jacobs was the man to get the townfolk riled up enough to stand in the street and block the passage of the Google Street Maps car with its huge rooftop-mounted camera:
Resident Paul Jacobs was one of the first residents in the village, which is part of Milton Keynes, to challenge the Google car.
Mr Jacobs said he saw the vehicle driving past his home on Wednesday and his first reaction was one of anger.
"I don't have a problem with Google wanting to promote villages. What I have a problem with is the invasion of privacy, taking pictures directly into the home," he said.
The article goes on to say that there had been three burglaries in the town recently, and that Jacobs and other residents feared Street View photos would help criminals plan future burglaries.
This strikes us as a bit illogical. If the Street View feed were live, it could certainly be argued that it could assist with criminal activity. But it's not. And the photo quality (at this point) is not good enough to allow a user to see into someone's home, and decide whether there are electronics or valuables worth taking.
The "villagers" likely cite safety concerns because it seems like the most sensible argument. But in fact, we suspect the motivation comes from a more basic (and emotional) desire for privacy that we all -- to greater and lesser extents -- have.
Angry British villagers stop Google maps car [AFP]
Residents challenge Google camera [BBC]
