Google’s plans to offer a 3D street level view to users weren’t met with enthusiasm by the residents of a village in the United Kingdom. They confronted the driver of the Google street view car arguing that the images of their homes posted on the Internet would attract criminals and burglars in their small village. 

 

According to CNN, the villagers of Broughton, a town north of London, called the police when they spotted the Google car. Some of them were very angered by the fact that the Google camera was taking photos of their homes without their consent. 

 

Paul Jacobs, a Broughton resident interviewed by The Times of London, said that he took action immediately after seeing the Google car driving down the lane. 

 

“How dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent?”  

 

Mr. Jacobs said that three burglaries already took place in the small village near London during the past six weeks and if Google or anyone else would post detailed photos of the area and the houses there on the Internet, it would be an invitation to more burglars. 

 

Google’s plans to offer street view to its Google Maps service have stirred controversy on more than one occasion so far. Although the faces and license plates that appear in the photos are being blurred, some people just won’t have it.  

 

However, Google representatives said their mapping project is within the law. 

 

"Before launching Street View we sought the guidance and approval of the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO has repeatedly made clear that it believes that Street View includes the safeguards necessary to protect people's privacy," a Google spokesman said, AFP reported. The Google spokesman also said that the Metropolitan Police assured them that the project would increase the security risk of the area.