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Google Street view expanded across Buckinghamshire

7:00am Friday 12th March 2010 in


VIRTUALLY every street in south Buckinghamshire has been added to Google’s controversial Street View programme, which feature street-level photographs.

Thousands of images are now available to view online – including thousands of homes.

Number plates and faces are obscured – but browsers can zoom onto houses and into windows. The programme tells the user the house number being viewed.

This has concerned some who say the programme – which features pictures taken by a car – is a violation of privacy and could attract would-be burglars.

Villagers in Broughton in north Bucks infamously blocked a road so Google’s car could not pass through.

A handful of streets and the M40 were added in January (see link, bottom of story).

Google spokesman Laura Scott said: "Google provides the easily accessible ‘report a problem’ tool for flagging inappropriate or sensitive imagery for review and removal - that includes giving users the choice to remove themselves, their car or their house completely from Street View if they like.

"Where our blurring tools have missed the odd face or car number plate anybody can report these to us and we’ll apply extra blurring.

"Google UK has consulted extensively with many privacy and community groups in developing the feature and privacy safeguards.

"We've launched Street View in over 20 countries and we've never seen an increase in crime as a result.

"The images are not real time, they show a moment in time of a street and therefore pose no increased security risk."

What do you think? Leave your comments below. Click the link to visit Google Street View. Drag the orange figure onto the road to view.

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Comments(13)

saltedpeanuts says...
8:17am Fri 12 Mar 10

It's about time they updated Street View. Nothing like snooping on places you used to live. Now I can always check before hand where I need to go.

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OllieNewbury says...
8:47am Fri 12 Mar 10

If I were a burglar I'd check out the place in person, not reply on Google!

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OllieNewbury says...
8:48am Fri 12 Mar 10

OllieNewbury wrote:
If I were a burglar I'd check out the place in person, not reply on Google!
**should be 'rely on Google'**

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Plus ça change... says...
9:40am Fri 12 Mar 10

If anyone is in any doubt about whether there is plenty of green in Bucks they should look!

'Booglinghamshire' is truly beautiful!

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TheT0nemeister says...
9:44am Fri 12 Mar 10

It would be nice if they could update the aerial photography. We still have Bridge Street car park on there. You can't make out the infamous 3 kebab vans on there though. But I think it must have been a bit early for them when the photos where taken.

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Steve Totteridge Hill says...
10:46am Fri 12 Mar 10

I can see my house from here!

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Slacker says...
10:48am Fri 12 Mar 10

The pictures need updating. In Flackwell Heath it shows PLanet Guitar instead of the Ian Rennie shop. Ian Rennie has been there for over a year.

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Plus ça change... says...
11:05am Fri 12 Mar 10

Wow. The Roman villa...!!

Just joking...

Any multiple pixillated bloggers?

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miccles says...
12:11pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Middlebrook Road seems up to date, you can see all the bloody potholes.

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brachyura says...
9:42pm Fri 12 Mar 10

On Ivor's blog I made a comment asking if the person eating sandwiches by the church was him - that comment was deleted.
.
If it was the BFP that deleted it then they will remove this also. (If it was Ivor then he shouldn't be able to remove this).
.
Anyway nice to see my old car outside my house (got rid of it a year and a half ago).

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Photo-me says...
1:28pm Sat 13 Mar 10

Many amateur and professional photographers have been stopped under the anti-terror laws for taking pictures of St Paul's Cathedral, London Busses, Policemen, etc. Google seems to be a law unto themselves .... With all the CCTV and other security installations watching every step we make I'd like to take photos of those who take photos of me!!! I don't buy the "nothing to hide" argument. Once we are recorded on some system there is no way of controlling how all the data is used....

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am i the only one says...
9:48pm Wed 17 Mar 10

MMm, loks up to date from about last december ?

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am i the only one says...
9:53pm Wed 17 Mar 10

Where is Ivor ?

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