OMEN
04-04-2009, 03:49 PM
Furious villagers in leafy Buckinghamshire formed a human barrier to stop a Google camera photographing their houses.
They feared having their upmarket homes on Google Street View would make them a target for burglars, reports the Daily Mirror.
Residents surrounded a Google car mounted with the camera and dialled 999. The car left before police arrived and without taking photos.
Paul Jacobs, 43, who led the protests in Broughton, said: "I saw the car driving down the lane and my reaction was anger. How dare anyone take a photo of my home without my consent?
"It's an affluent area and we've had three burglaries in six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google it's an invitation for more criminals to strike."
Google insists it broke no laws as the driver was on public land and the facility blurs out faces and car plates.
A spokesman said: "Householders can request their property is removed from the site - but only after the picture appears."
Nova
They feared having their upmarket homes on Google Street View would make them a target for burglars, reports the Daily Mirror.
Residents surrounded a Google car mounted with the camera and dialled 999. The car left before police arrived and without taking photos.
Paul Jacobs, 43, who led the protests in Broughton, said: "I saw the car driving down the lane and my reaction was anger. How dare anyone take a photo of my home without my consent?
"It's an affluent area and we've had three burglaries in six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google it's an invitation for more criminals to strike."
Google insists it broke no laws as the driver was on public land and the facility blurs out faces and car plates.
A spokesman said: "Householders can request their property is removed from the site - but only after the picture appears."
Nova