“Watch out Broughton! Street View fans plan to descend on ‘privacy’ village for photo fest” (Dolan+Wrenn, MailOnline, 3 Apr ’09):
The impromptu protest started on Wednesday when Resident Paul Jacobs spotted the Google car—which was unmarked but featured the tell-tale 360-degree rotating camera fixed on a pole on its roof—cruising slowly down his lane in the Buckinghamshire village. He dashed outside, confronted the driver and told him that he was not allowed to continue, before alerting police. Mr Jacobs, 43, then knocked on his neighbours’ doors and a crowd of angry residents surrounded the black Opel Astra, forcing it to make a U-turn and quickly leave. Mr Jacobs, who works for a global entertainment company, described Street View as a ‘burglar’s dream’. He said of the moment he spotted the car in London Road: ‘My immediate reaction was anger—how dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent?
‘I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime. This is an affluent area.
‘If our houses are plastered all over Goodgle it’s an invitation for burglars to strike.’
‘I don’t mind estate agents taking pictures but this shows people how to get in and how to get out. I was determined to make a stand so I called the police.’
See also: “gEverything,” “If we showed you, we’d have to pixelate you,” “performance.google.com,” “You’re not allowed to take pictures here.”