I want to say some of these people are crazy but I really don't think they are. Who gave Google the god-given right to drive their car around and take pictures of everyone and everything without consent?

Mobile phones have to make a certain sound when taking pictures BY LAW. Still this whole thing is happening...

I can't understand how this streetview thing isn't over yet.
I mean... it is preposterous having someone taking pictures of my properties without ANY form of permission!

Who gives all these people the god-given right to be so easily upset over people being able *gasp* see their houses on the internet!?

When has anyone required consent to take pictures of people and places in public, and as far as general maps, its all public information anyway. Plot lines and building details can be obtained from many public information sources.

I don't know anyone who would approve of strangers taking pictures of their house and posting on the internet. This thing should be eliminated.

wow, paranoid much? they are not doing anythin that any person could see if they just got in their car and drove down your street. lowering the cameras to not show whats behind a fence is a good call on their part. but people barring them from their countries or cities? how about you just blindfold people so they cant see other people's properties either? its the same damn view, just available as a tool.

Law regarding photography allows pictures to be taken of private properties and people from public property. The only time you need a release is if the photo is being sold for profit. Google is not "selling" the images.

^^^except in China^^^

Good lord people... it's a frickin picture. It's nothing more than what a person would see if they were driving their car down the road. Should that be a crime too?

Your approval is not required… If I want to drive by your house on a public road and take a picture, then I’m going to do just that.

All you ANTI-Street View people should stop taking pictures on Vacation as you may get a picture of someone’s house in there. … Then what?

I honestly don’t see what the big deal is; when they drive by my house I’m going smile and wave.

These people are the same types of people as my parents. To this day they refuse to say their name on their voicemail, they just recite the number, out of privacy concerns. I've told them that all a person needs to do is go to whitepages.com and do a reverse number lookup and they'll have a lot more than their names.

LOL cant you see in peoples back yards in google maps?!?!?

In Japan, the houses are so close to the road that you can even see what's going on in their rooms, kitchen, garden and so on. At some place, you can see inside both side of the houses if you are standing on a truck cargo area. The fence height and regulated distance from the road is setup differently then here. A stranger taking photo of your home is unavoidable but they can't do it the "mass production" way and so fast. Google street is good, but they need to make some adjustment to the equipments to avoid this.

/agree with grieve

I've read stories about native Americans in the 18 hundreds who did not like to have their photographs taken. I guess people in England, Japan and Italy think like that.

Photography steals your spirit...just like whiskey.

In this situation the Japanese objected to Google imaging peoples private spaces... not public ones. I tend to think that Google driving around taking pics from the road is no big deal... but there does need to be some thought regarding inadvertent imaging of non-public areas (and an easy way to correct this when it happens).

hahahaha

japanese cant ride a bike for ****

in all the times i have fallen off a bike as a kid (maybe 3 times?)

i have never even came close to doing the splits like this guy!!!!!!!!!!

Not entirely true even of people taking pictures of public spaces... head down to your local public school and start shooting pictures of the kids, see how long it takes to get arrested.

There are limits to most things and the debate here is more about where to draw the limit. Most of us think blurry google photo's of our homes is no big deal... but what if they stated driving around with high res imagers that could see through inadvertently open windows into bathrooms and bedrooms? Would that still be ok?

There SHOULD be a limit on the ability of a person to access the private information of someone else (including images of their private spaces)... I can't say I know exactly where that limit should BE, but I think dismissing it out of hand indicates a superficial understanding of the issues.

private spaces should be private. but google doesn't really seem to give a rat's... they could have easily gotten rid of earlier protests regarding inclusion of people simply by taking more than one picture at each spot. in all but the most crowded spaces, two pix is enough to obtain an unobstructed view, sans people. that's how i do some of my vacation pix... not a person in sight even when taken during a busy day

Tom's... I don't think you need to ask for our comments. I'm pretty sure we'll give them, anyway. Might as well save yourself the cred of not being annoying.

"Back in April, UK residents in one small village formed a human chain and blocked the driver of a Google Street View, saying the service was 'facilitating crime.'"

Google making it easier for individuals to commit a crime by providing a free information platform? Sounds awfully familiar...
(clearly, I'm being facetious)

I don't see what the big deal is. Street View gives you exactly that, a view of what things would look like if you were walking down the street on the particular day and time. It's perfectly legal to take pictures on public property and Google, in my opinion, has been very kind with removing photos and blurring out faces. I find Street View to be a very useful tool when looking for a new place (I can view the neighborhood without driving there to see if it's worth my time) as well as a cool way to see what other countries look like. It can even be nostalgic to see my old neighborhood in California. I don't use Google, I use Yahoo, so I'm not a Google fanatic, in fact I'm worried they have too much power, but I think Street View is an ingenious idea that does more good than harm. Besides, I love the candid pictures of people caught in the act of peeing in public or falling off their bike. Classic.

Oh, BTW, I should add I understand the complaint made in Japan and I think that it's valid, I was just generalizing about peoples fears with Street View.

Agreed.

I'm not sure why google is so determined not to amend their plans for street view but I believe a 'corner' street view (aimed towards the road) would be a more useful tool as that is what most people see when they are driving down the road. Street view appears most useful to me for landmarks (ie downtown cores, monuments, etc) but I guess we'll see how it evolves.

I do feel that the issue is being blown out of proportion all the while legitimate concerns are being ignored.

I'm going to construct a tinfoil hat for my house.

Simple outline of photo law.

You will not get arrested for taking pictures at a public school, you may have to answer some questions, but arrested? No.

How come my link isn't showing up?

http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf

cut and paste

and can the above blank and question be deleted?