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Google launches 360-degree photos of every street in London
Mark Prigg, Technology Correspondent19 Mar 2009
GOOGLE today launched a new site showing 360-degree photographs of virtually every street in London.
The Street View service will cover 22,360 miles of roads in 25 cities around the UK.
It includes all central London and most of the suburbs. Users can zoom in on images and virtually "walk" streets. The site stitches together millions of digital pictures of streets captured using a fleet of cars with 360 degree cameras on their roofs.
Google said some streets, such as Oxford Circus and parts of east London, had been missed because of traffic problems when the pictures were taken, but pledged to update the service regularly to try to cover all of the capital.
But the launch has raised major privacy concerns from critics who say it could be used to plan crimes or even expose people involved in illegal activities.
Campaigners today pledged to launch a legal challenge against the service, claiming it violates the right to privacy. "These images are being captured without people's permission for commercial use, and we believe that it not legally acceptable," said Simon Davies of Privacy International. "They are also putting into place a system for updating these images in the future, and for storing the images digitally where they could be misused." Google was last year investigated by the Information Commissioner's Office over the plans, but was given the all clear.
"We are satisfied that Google is putting in place adequate safeguards to avoid any risk to the privacy or safety of individuals, including the blurring of vehicle registration marks and the faces of anyone included in Street View images," the ICO said.
Google said it had gone to great lengths to avoid privacy problems. "We have software that automatically blurs car numberplates and faces," said a spokeswoman. "Any user can easily flag images for removal by clicking on a 'Report a concern' link. We believe we have addressed all the issues."
Whether the new site will reveal anyone or anything in an embarrassing or compromising position remains to be seen.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said the site could boost tourism by allowing visitors to see the capital before arriving. "London's unique beauty, splendour and energy is truly illuminated in cyberspace with this superb new tool. It is simply fascinating, even for a Londoner like me."
Sony is teaming up with Google to fight Amazon's lead in the digital books market. The tie-up with Google will allow Sony to boost the number of titles it offers through its eBook store to more than 600,000. Amazon's Kindle currently gives access to just over 245,000 titles.
Click here to test Google's Street View
THE WINNERS AND LOSERS
Google: hundreds of firms are expected to add virtual tours to their website, boosting traffic and advertising revenue.
Tourists: can plan their visit to London online. However, it could be bad news for holiday firms because visitors can check whether their hotel is actually only five minutes walk from the Thames.
Housebuyers: can see what a neighbourhood is really like, but this could be less welcome for estate agents.
Mobile phone firms: the service is available on Apple's iPhone and Google's own G1.
Reader views (23)
"Handy tool for burglars ..."
- Mark, South-East London
Why? These images are not live feeds showing whether you are in our out. Burglars will scout out target properties regardless of whether they saw the house on Google or on an estate agents website.
"R.I.P privacy."
- Rollo, London
What privacy? You walk past, drive past or catch a bus past somebodies house and look at it. How does that affect the privacy of the individual?
Anybody can take a picture of your house without your permission.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 20/03/2009 13:31
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We're all obsessed with our privacy and the thought that it is being erroded these days. I very much doubt that there was this uproar when the first phone book was published.
- Nj, London, 20/03/2009 13:13
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It doesn't show anything you couldn't see by going to the same place, except what it shows is out of date. Streets are public places. Get used to it.
Google are quite reponsibly removing "candid camera" frames when they are made aware of them. It's funny that a man got snapped mid-barf, but not so funny for that man if it's still there years from now. So it won't be.
As for the one in a million chance that I've been snapped walking to the tube station or sitting outside a cafe, why should I care?
- Nigel, London, 20/03/2009 13:04
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For people to call this an invasion of privacy is incredibly naive and fundamentally wrong. Will those very same people soon be shouting from the tops that simply driving down a public street is also an invasion of their privacy??
Grow up people, anybody at any time of their choosing can drive down your street by public right of access.
If the interior of your home were to be exposed, then yes, claim breaches of privacy, otherwise, stop yapping!
- David, London, 20/03/2009 11:44
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I think it's fantastic!! I already was using it few weeks ago looking up streets in US, and last week going round Paris. It makes me want to go and see the places in real. Good job well done Google.
- Michal, New Eltham, London, 20/03/2009 11:42
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The only threat is to be a thorougly good timewaster when one should be getting on with some work!
Fascinating.
Those who complain would probably ask for A-Z street atlases to be withdrawn on the basis that they are a 'burglars charter'.
- George, London, 20/03/2009 11:28
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There are some very strange things in it. Go to Gunnersbury Ln, London W3, just north of Mill Hill Rd and go north. Suddenly you find yourself transported into a car-park. Continue and in one click you are out of it. Continue and turn left into Hillcrest Rd, and as you go along you will find yourself back in the same car-park and then out again. The car-park is in fact behind the care-home in Gunnersbury Lane.
- Richard, Acton London UK, 20/03/2009 09:02
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Am I the only person who thinks this is really cool?!!
- Smb, London, UK, 20/03/2009 08:58
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Wel I am now living in Florida USA and I found it interesting,,,,
- Stan Shaw, DeLand Florida USA, 19/03/2009 21:41
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The question is a bit of joke a couple of days after ISPs are obliged to start holding email data etc on behalf of the government. We also have CCTV, cops wearing cameras, the child database, DNA database, going on holiday database etc. etc. etc. Privacy has been totaly eroded under Labour nevermind a few snaps from Google!
- Steve, Hereford, 19/03/2009 19:07
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Not a problem for me personally but I wonder how long the 'Gov' will wait before they start using the results to see who has built extensions etc so the Local Councils can increase the Council Tax banding?
- Mike, London England, 19/03/2009 17:55
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I can't see why Google would go to the expense or trouble of doing this unless it had some commercial value: I'm a bit slow - why would you want to see all this?
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 19/03/2009 14:31
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Walking to work one day last Summer, I saw the Google camera Car drive past. I told people in work I would be famous!
This morning I had a look at the street where I saw the Google Car and sure enough, there I am. An invasion of my privacy? How? In what way did it invade my privacy? What privacy? I was in a public place. What privacy do people expect in the middle of a crowded street in London? Do people in tourist areas complain about tourists taking photos in case a tourist accidently catches them walking in the background? Is Google really any worse than that? Ok, it might be seen by more people, but where is the harm? I don't mind being on Google. I think it is actually quite fun! My face is obscured, so nobody who doesn't know me can identify me. But even if they could identify me, so what. It shows me walking along a street. Where is the problem. I do walk along streets sometimes. I'm not ashamed, I wasn't doing anything wrong!. There are thousands of photos published daily in newspapers with people in the background. So what?
In terms of it being a burglars' charter... they will see much less than they would walking along the street. Which of course they are able to do at any time. It doesn't show much that is not already available and the photos are at least six months old. I can't imagine any law abiding citizens suddenly becoming burglars because they now have Google Streetview. And burglars w ill commit burglary with or without Streetview. Not because of it.
- Arr Bee, London, UK, 19/03/2009 14:18
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it doesnt let you see through walls, or go anywhere you couldn't go by car, so exactly how could it be used to plan crimes any more than going to the place and taking pictures, people who complain of "RIP PRIVACY" must be lunatics...or have never left the house!
- Daveb, london, 19/03/2009 13:43
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I've just looked on Google at my house, and it's actually hidden behind a large white van!
- Philip, London, England, 19/03/2009 13:25
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How can it be an invasion of privacy when all it is capture is the same view as if you took a bus to the street?
But the point about burglary is a more pressing concern.
- Stuart, UK, 19/03/2009 13:04
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I've just had a play and can't see how it's a threat to privacy at all? Unless of course it went past as you were in a compromising position as it took your photo.
- Bob, Cheam, 19/03/2009 12:36
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...of course, what the article doesn't mention is that Google have blurred the face of every person in their photos, and have also blurred every numberplate. The photos show nothing more than you would see if you were walking down the street - and are a historical snapshot (not updated anywhere near real-time) - so of no use in trying to identify vacant properties.
It's a very exciting tool - and I think Google have done well to ease people's concerns...
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 19/03/2009 12:36
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R.I.P privacy.
- Rollo, London, 19/03/2009 12:29
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It's funny to hear privacy concerns raised about Google Street view in the land of ubiquitous surveillance cameras.
- Drivin98, Googletown, USA, 19/03/2009 12:27
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Given the recent story of the burglar who used aerial views on the internet to find buildings with lead roofs this site can only lead to an increase of burglary/theft
- Andy, london, 19/03/2009 12:26
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Well I've just had a go and the detail is very, even if the pictures are a little out of date.
Handy tool for burglars I would have thought!
- Mark, South-East London, 19/03/2009 11:57
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Iyt's only a threat to those who are seen with a face showing a look of paranoid obsession. I'd love to be imortalised on it. I'm off to check now...
- Martin H. Watson, Teddington, 19/03/2009 11:21
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