A controversial website which has visually mapped out Shrewsbury and allows everyone in the world to see where people live has provoked a mixed reaction.
Google Street View, which has gone live on the internet and works alongside Google Maps, allows people to take a virtual walk past homes, view what car or caravan is on the drive and what underwear is hanging on the line.
Despite featuring images visible only from public roads, Street View has attracted critics who say the street-level information intrudes on people’s privacy and could be exploited by criminals.
Street View images were captured last year by Google’s car, fitted with a special panoramic camera on its roof.
Shropshire Councillor Miles Kenny told the Chronicle he was disappointed that Google didn’t consult with people before taking pictures of their homes and feared people’s privacy and security of their homes could be put at risk.
And Radbrook resident Matthew Seadon said: “I was browsing the places I know of quite well and when I zoomed in on my grandparents’ house I was in disbelief when standing there, cutting the grass on the front lawn, was my granddad who passed away early last year. My initial reaction was one of shock. It really does raise questions of privacy because his face wasn’t even blanked out.”
But Amanda Jones, spokesperson for Shrewsbury Town Centre Residents Association said: “We are delighted that Shrewsbury is now featured on Google Street View and hope it will present the town in a good light and encourage people to come and visit.”
Laura Scott from Google said the imagery was no different from what people see when they are driving down the street, and the website gives users the chance to remove their house or car if they want.
She added: “Street View brings enormous benefits to rural and urban areas alike – whether it’s helping a tourist to find an out-of-the-way B&B or planning a walk in the beautiful landscape up and down the UK.
“Google has gone to great lengths to safeguard privacy while allowing British users to benefit from this feature. Street View only contains imagery that is already visible from public roads and features technology that blurs both faces and car number plates.”
Deputy chief constable Graeme Gerrard, Association of Chief Police Officers lead on CCTV and Video Working, said: “Experience suggests that the most important factors in the likelihood of being burgled are the security arrangements of premises. Google Street View provides images of the front, street facing parts of a property at a particular moment in the past and this means that burglars cannot gain real-time intelligence on a property. This, coupled with the fact that many burglars enter premises from the rear or via an insecure door or window, means that the intelligence that Google Street View can provide is of limited use.”
The website address is www.google.co.uk/help/maps/streetview
- What do you think about Shrewsbury being featured on Google Street View? Email assistant editor Kim Bennett at kbennett@shrop shirestar.co.uk
By James Pugh