"I cannot think of a reason to include private residences."

Really? I use it on a regular basis to look at real estate. It saves me from having to drive through every neighborhood where a home is for sale. With GSV I can look at the home, the street, and the surrounding blocks.

Julie, Sacramento, USA

European laws on privacy are world leading.

But perhaps it's time to stop using Google's services, to protect your privacy.

Start deleting your Google accounts.

Ann Cook, Newport, South Wales

I think it's ludicrous that these brits are trying to create a fuss about google maps, specially after they are the most heavily watched society in the world by their own government with video cameras up the a.. which apparently do not deter crooks from doing their thing anyway.

rick_floss, miami beach, USA

So you're saying that a car that takes photographs, blurs details such as faces, number plates etc, is more intrusive of your privacy than, say, someone walking down the street? If anything, it's protecting your privacy. Get in the 21st century, and look how America reacted. They didn't care!

James Milligan, Altrincham, England

I think Google street view is great!

I can't wait for them to come and take pictures in my town!

Seriously people need to sit back and relax! I really cannot see the harm in it, they are taking photo's that you and i can rive down any street and see!

Sarah, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK

So all cameras are banned unless used on my own private property: Ordinance Survey must be taken to court because it gives a map to my street; Any one with a good memory that, if they walk down a street they can rember where the houses are must be put into custody.....That's all Google is really.

Richard Andrew Jefferies, Castaño del Robledo, Spain

Odd. You raise privacy concerns to having images taken of the streetside of your property from a publicly-available point-of-view, yet say nothing about your government that records every piece of electronic communication that you produce? In terms of relative danger, your anger seems misplaced.

Reginald, Chicago, USA

I can see no valid reason for photographing peoples private homes it is an intrusion of privacy. Surely the way to react is to discontinue using any of the Google related products or services and not deal with companies that do telling them why!

A. McHugh, Keighley, England

I saw a tree i liked, how dare my affections be shared with others

fred, london,

Hmmm. Not sure why anyone would think that having their house viewed from Google would increase their chance of becoming a victim of crime, sounds a little bit paranoid to me. I don't there are very many criminals that fire up their computer so they can pick out houses to rob, give me a break.

Gerald Knauss, Milan, USA

So tell me again, what's the value of Street View? Going for a stroll through the village without leaving your armchair?

According to what the Google guy said, the residents of any town, village etc could simply notify Google that they don't want to be shown on the Street View and that's that.

Malcolm, Calgary, Canada

I have seen my self driving my car with the liscence plate vivible
I want this removed as it my human right

brian grocock, nottingham, great britian

This just in, insular, ignorant community are outraged over change. Film at 11.

Richard, Brighton,

Bring down Google Maps!?! Are they mad? Businesses and private households use this service multiple times a day. Shutting down this website is not the answer to stopping pedifiles, that is obsurd! We have got to live our lives and educate those around us, not limit what we do and how we live.

Dan Forsythe, New Ulm, MN, USA

I am so glad I don’t live there with neighbours like that.
I can only think these people have nothing else to worry about.

Perhaps they shouldn’t do things they are ashamed of without drawing the curtains

Andy, chelmsford, essex

Why is everybody freaking out about something so wonderful as google earth? Though like any powerful tool it can be used for evil, such advanced map technology should be embraced and built upon. Information is the future - get used to it.

Ryan, Portland, USA

It seems odd to me that Britons get terribly upset when a private entity takes photos for public use - and acceeds to any demand to remove those photos - but their government is constantly monitoring them by video camera with no audit and no way to protect their privacy from a tyrannical use.

Andrew, Atlanta, GA, USA

These people obviously dont know the laws. There is nothing illegal about what the car was doing. If people don't want their house to be photographed, put up a fence or move.

Matthew, Warrensburg,

What's this guys address? I want to go and take some photos of his house, not just his village.

Sean, Cambridge,

Do the Brits not understand that they are filmed every day and perhaps more than any other nation.
They are okay with that, but god forbid someone make a useful feature on a website that involves a picture of their house, which is perfectly legal. I use street view all the time when planning trips.

Dorian Black, Raleigh, NC, USA

This is not a "mob" it is a group of concerned people. Think. This is a good way for paedophiles to locate potential victims. It is surely fun to look at these pictures -- right up to the point where your child disappears!

Bob Millar, Hässelby, Sweden

ignorance is strength

winnie, windsor,

doesn't anybody think street view is pretty cool? I do. besides, they are using public streets.

eric, ambler,

"Thomas Paine" in Godalming wrote "The law is a poor guide to what is acceptable behaviour." But of course the villagers weren't accusing the GSV driver of "bad behavior", but rather of breaking the law and "facilitating crime". Let's get our complaints straight, shall we?

Robert Haines, San Francisco, USA

Most young people, and I am one of them, are too much in love with their gadgets and "onlineness" that they'll never admit that they are willingly throwing away their privacy for a bit of fun and entertainment. Until it's too late. Maybe not even then.

TomRoberts, Tokyo, Japan

The funnisest thing about this is that Broughton isnt even an affluent area...

Steve, Milton Keynes,

This is the way society is headed and as a young adult in this every developing world i've embraced the technology, not disregarded it. There's no point in complaining about issues such as being able to view houses, when you could just take a few minutes to request that your house is blurred out.

James, London, United Kingdom

You need to turn this around and use it against the crooks. Why not make it mandatory to correlate every reported burglary with histories of google earth and street view searches. Google know what you have been looking for, and how often you looked at it, and where you where at the time you looked.

SteveD, Melbourne, Australia

I guess the people of Buckinghamshire village haven't noticed that high resolution satellite photos are already available on the web. We can see what is in you back yards. Google only sees the front.

Robert, rockville, USA

Dont Estate Agents publish photographs of houses and localities ?

Derek, Huntingdon, England

A lot of Americans seem to think that there's a surveillance camera following every step you take here in the UK. While there's certainly far too many of them in towns and cities, vast swathes of the country, including most residential areas, are not blighted by these cameras.

Simon, Lancaster, UK

Google are no longer benign. They are amassing huge amounts of data of all kinds and I think we should be cautious, much as we would if the government were indulging in the same behaviour.

Streetview may be valuble for commercial areas, but I cannot think of a reason to include private residences.

Dave W, London, UK

Exactly how did you know that it was an "American" who was "answering the call of nature" in your video? Brits would never do that?

Bill, Columbus,

This is mob rule and nimbyism gone mad. Oh how so very British. The rest of the world will pass by this Green and Pleasant, Chocolate Box, quaint and out moded land into the 22nd Century. We will still stay put in the 20th centurym than you very much......Oh, the irony.

Sam, Aylesbury, United Kingdom

Its all in the name Google earth is maintained and used by alians from another planet fear not your posesions they are after esacaped crimimal aliens belived living in Broughton. looks like they will have to move or walk round naked they will not show you like that on google earth.

James Hendry, Shenzhen, China

A lot of American respondents here, surely they can't all work for google?

The wearing of hoodies is a response to CCTV cameras, and our privacy was not given up it was taken from us by newlabour trotskyists.

Don't expect them to win the next general election.

Tone, Walsall, UK

As it's now illegal in Britain to photograph a policeman, will police forces be trawling through Google to find prosecutable offences - police cars on the street, Bobbies on the beat (unlikely), police stations ?

Eddie, Sheffield,

So long as the interior of a house is not visible in a picture and the picture is taken from a public place then there is NOTHING which can be done to stop anyone photographing property or persons so long as the frequency of the picture taking is not so often as to constitute harassment.

Kev, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England

I live in Milton keynes and this weekend i am definitely going to broughton (2 miles away max) to take some photos. P.S. Don't be fooled by his language. Broughton isn't a great place to live.

Stuart, Milton Keynes, UK

I just heard this guy on Radio 2. He is exactly what one might expect...

Tom, Colchester,

There are legal issues surrounding the commercial use of photographs of persons or property without the consent of the subjects/owners. Photographers need to obtain a 'model release' in order to prove consent to use images. I'm not sure about GSV helping thieves but it does have privacy implications

Neil, Trowbridge, UK

but I can take the same photographs if I like: there is no invasion of privacy taking pictures from the public highway. We all do just this on holiday in historic towns and pretty villages.
Gosh, the Queen must have a very photgraphed home!

james, LOndon,

Isn't everyone missing the point that the burglaries were happening BEFORE google tried to photograph their street???? Really kills the whole argument.

J R, Texas,

In the USA-as long as subjects don't have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" - meaning they're not somewhere they'd never expect a camera to be - it legal to photograph people. Even if you photograph them while they're on private property, you're in the clear -just make sure they're in plain view

dennis, Corvallis, Oregon, usa

I find it somewhat ironic that through their attempts to stop crime and denounce Google, they went and told the newspapers about it.

As a consequence, the name of their village is now all over the internet and probably the matter of considerable public interest.

Hooray for wealthy stupidity!

Josh, Swindon, Wilts

Actually Pat it bothers a lot of us a great deal. If only people would take the same action with CCTV and police cameras we might get back to having privacy again.

Billy Barnett, HK,

I guess burglars can't just walk down the streets and case the houses in real life anymore? They're only stopping the lazy thieves. If I was using Google maps to rob a place and it showed up as a secret area, I'd be more likely to check it out. Ridiculous.

Aaron, Chicago, USA

"...how dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent?"
Really? You mean that, Mr. Jacobs? You're obviously not a lawyer, but I'll bet since you're affluent, you probably know a couple. Check with them, you'll find there is no bar on anyone taking a picture of your house.

Daniel J. Houghton, New York City, USA

It's cool that they did that...but I don't understand the British. They have security cameras covering every inch of that country but that doesn't seem to bother them.

Pat, Grand Island, Ne, US

Doug in Tampa...that is why they are protesting!!!

Linda, San Pedro, USA

They worry about some company taking photos of their houses but don't seem to care about the gov't stealing their money? Seem to me that the Brit's, just like the liberals in America, have their priorities mixed up.

Mykel, Atlanta, GA, USA

Mob rule seems to be a big step backwards in civilization. Even if the privacy sought by the Broughton mob is a good thing, the ends do not justify their means.

Letting a mob win over the rule of law is only go to encourage more mob action.

Patrick, New York, US

Google lets Burglars look into people's garden and plan routes in and out. They can see where valuable cars are. They can even check which houses have security systems. Google earth is a terrorists dream. Street view is the choice of burglars.

Alfie, Asfhord,

thankyou for the identifacation of broughton... i cant wait to visit there now..id love to see the afluent homes there as i am a documentry phographer doing a story on wealth in the uk...

jeremy, sausalito, usa

actually, what fun it will be to see folks in the google street view chasing after the car ... imagine what fun they monty python would have with this if they were still around.

warren, los angeles, US

What is visible from the road is public ... driving up your driveway sure .. but if you dont like whats visible from the road, perhaps you re trying to hide something.

warren, los angeles, US

Ann Cook,

2 evils dont make right. and i use gmail and google as my homepage

david g., hedley,

I think that these people are finally tired of being watched all of the time and Google Street View is the last straw.

Jeff, Pittsburgh, USA

Google are starting to worry me.

Maybe it's time for a class act - bring in the EU to legislate against Google's activities.

Ann Cook, Newport, South Wales

So Mr Jacobs says it is an affluent area? Well, just saying that should attract the burglars!!

Gary, Birmingham,

Even if these people stop "Street View", they will not stop the growth of internet photography, and they will not stop the growth of internet search engine capabilities. The world is going digital.

Doug, Tampa, Florida, US

Oh ... So what are they going to do when they want to sell their house in the future ? Hide it under a sheet, escort you to it blindfolded and hold up the corner so you can peep in ? Since when is the outside world 'private' ?

Pazza, Boston, UK

My neighborhood has been on google street view for a few years. No crime before and no crime after. Most criminals are lazy and stupid and are looking for a crime of opportunity i.e. unlocked houses and cars with expensive gadgets in full view.

RLCII, Indianapolis, USA

Completely ridiculous, if people wanted to plan a robbery they could use a map- oh and go there themselves. What is google going to show them than one drive up the street in question wont? Some people just love to complain.

Jamie T, Aberdeen, Scotland

Kennedy said "Google needs to be held accountable for any crime that their street view is used in. Citizens have a right to privacy". Does that mean I should sue A-Z if criminals use their maps to help plan a burglary / escape route ?

Phil, Cardiff, Wales

While use of the tool in setting up a burglary might be an option. Google does track usage by individuals. Perhaps in the end if you case a house digitally it would be recorded as if physically thus you have a list of potential suspects.

New innovations require patience and understanding.

Wynter, Concord, USA

Barry Johnston, you're right - we must ban all laptops immediately.

N Cook, London, UK

I think we should ban maps too, because burglars/terrorists could use them to plot an attack. And telephones. And pencils.

Dan Evans, Nottingham, UK

A picture of your house will cause a burglary? Are you serious? A map and a phonebook give away far more information than a picture does. Besides, if a criminal wants to steal he'll just go by your house and look for himself, Google doesn't need to help.

Derek, Wichita,

the most scariest thing about the CCTV thing is that it IS NOT AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE!

Graeme, Dallas, TX, USA

"Mob", indeed. The sheer damn' rudeness of it.

Concerned neighbours rightly decide to deal with unwanted intrusion. Perfectly right and proper.

The law is a poor guide to what is acceptable behaviour.

<Thinks> An ASBO for Google?

Thomas Paine, Godalming, England

In reply to poster, you are quite correct, however I do not know many people that are the equivalent of 10feet tall, thus having the ability to look over walls and fences. A close up of the external doors will give a criminal information needed to break in quickly and with minimum detection risk.

Iain, Buxton,

The millions of surveillance cameras in the UK are not seen as being an invasion of privacy but a Google car is! Mad!
How much more denial can the population of UK manage considering the huge invasions of privacy have already been committed by UK GOV in the last few years

David, Chicago, USA

As someone whose house has been on Street View since the beginning of the service a few years ago I find the claim that it facilitates crime nothing short of absurd. And anybody who has a camera computer compatible can and DOES put it on the internet. Only the ignorant can proclaim otherwise.

ana Carvalho, Philadelphia, United States

Maybe GSV will help catch those terrorists because they won't be able to go anywhere without being photographed.

Zach, Broken Arrow, USA

As a highway engineer, I use streetview frequently to do my job more efficiently. I still visit project locations, but sometimes I need to refresh my memory, or look at something I didn't specifically photograph or investigate. It's old technology too! Internet search "dot video log"... you'll see.

Jeremy, Philadelphia, USA

Interesting how in this age of terrorist paranoia, normal photographers are frowned upon or even hounded for photographing buildings and architecture etc, where as google is able to both take and publish these photos on the internet. Something to think about.

James, Basingstoke,

I quite enjoyed looking at all the repossessed homes in the United States, Google View has its uses.

Larry, Milton Keynes,

Ask yourself this. Would it be morally correct to photograph your friends wife, post it online and try to defend your actions by saying " its ok if you don't like it you can request it be taken down" I don't think so.
Seems to me someone needs to pull in the reigns on google.

Kelt, dumf, Scotland

1. If you going to get burglarized, the perp would most likely scout the area before hand in a car anyway.
2. Forming a "human chain" doesn't seem like a smart way to deal with privacy concerns.
3. People in England have given up most of their privacy anyway, and now their upset at Google???

Joseph, Rockville, USA

Privacy? On a British street? You guys should worry more about your immigration and economic problems.

GL Lee, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Mr. Mark, 'Stoke-on-Trent' I personally don't object to someone looking at my house, however, if someone's going to be scoping out my residence for a potential burglary, I want them to have to drive my street slowly, so as to arouse the suspicions of our neighbors...

Sam, Birmingham, AL, USA

I find it funny that the bloke implied that this would lead to break-ins and in the same breath noted that there had been three already in the last six weeks. Looks like the bad guys didn't need Google Maps to scope the village.

Robert, Raleigh, NC, US

This is nuts. Why do they protest? Theyre the most photographed people in the world under their big brother police-state, with cameras everywhere. Google is doing what any tourist, (or burglar) can do, take a picture.
What google is doing is trivial, compared to what big brother is doing to them.

dzc, Buffalo, USA

Poster - "GSV is here to stay. Think of it as just a passerby or tourist with a camera. You can't very well tell them what they can and can't do while strolling down a public street."

Only problem is, genius, is that you or I can't access a tourist's footage of your house from anywhere in the world

Flobar, Westinghose, England

Google needs to be held accountable for any crime that their street view is used in. Citizens have a right to privacy

kennedy, garden city, usa

Broughton isn't NEAR Milton Keynes, despite their protests, it's IN Milton Keynes, and according to those I know who live in or near it, not the nicest of places.

Then again, with all those burglaries and even a murder in recent months (http://bit.ly/d8D6A) perhaps you can understand the paranoia?!

Bob Inunder, Milton Keynes, UK

I honestly do not understand what the big deal is. The Google Car only takes pictures of what can be legally seen by anyone driving or walking down the street. Perhaps because it's on the internet, and irrational fear of the internet has been all the rage since "The Net" came out in the 90s.

Matthew Johnson, Monterey, USA

Google Street View should continue to be allowed. Are these folks going to stop people on the street taking pictures of their houses? If you don't want you house visible to the public then grow a hedge.

David Jackson, Silver Spring, USS

I think if I saw one of those GSV cars I'd do a lot worse than just prevent it from going on its course. I'm just saying .....

Sarah, Chicago, USA

The UK has more govt cameras than any other nation and they worry about this? You people already surrendered your privacy

don b, charlotte, nc, us

Well, Mr Paul Jacobs of Broughton in Buckinghamshire - if you don't want people taking photos of your house, don't have a house that can be viewed from a public place. Or do you also think that people walking down the street should avert their eyes so as not to see it?

Mark, Stoke-on-Trent,

My only regret about Street View is that the picture of where I live was taken when the cherry blossom wasn't out! Could those nice people from Street View please return now and take a prettier shot.? Thank-you.

Julie Freeman, Oxford,

it's legal, deal w/ it

Andrew, Englewood, US

GSV is here to stay. Think of it as just a passerby or tourist with a camera. You can't very well tell them what they can and can't do while strolling down a public street. Well, GSV is that tourist, only in the form of an Astra with a funny hat. The visual band of the EM spectrum has no owners.

JD Love, Baltimore, MD, USA

Good for these people for having the sense to recognize this invasion of privacy and degradation of society.

Frank, Cincinnati, USA

They're only shooting what's visible from public roadways -- if you don't want your house imaged, hang a black cloth from the roof. All protests do is impede a law-abiding driver and legal business venture from going about its day.

Ben, Boulder County, Colorado, USA

Sounds like these people want to live in a gated community on private land. I may just travel to this Broughton place and take a whole bunch of photos myself, from the public highway of course, and they can't do a thing to stop me (despite what they think). I look forward to Google's arrival here.

Andrew Carpenter, Cirencester, United Kingdom

It is kind of Amazing that in the UK with it's thousands of Security/ Spy cameras, Safety / Security / Traffic Light cameras etc., they are having problems with Google's Street View Camera.
I would have thought that Englanders gave up the right to privacy years ago.

Steve, Schenectady, USA

This is all overreaction. Google is doing the same thing as anyone driving a car.

You would need a lot less information to do a burglary; just know when Bonfire Night is or the FA Cup. Everyone will be down at their locals and not home.

John Karpiscak, Fredericksburg, United States

Google Street only takes a picture of the outside of your house. The governement's plans for ID cards, databases etc. is what truly infringes our privacy.

Tommy, Birmingham,

Why do we continue to strive outwards to see everything, find everything, know everything?

We already are everything and can see, find and know everything just by sitting still.

Hazza, Newbury,

Wouldnt it be easier and much more effective for a burglar to just walk past the front of your house? street view is after all, the view from the street? how can you invoke privacy laws when the photos are taken in a public place? I wonder if we'll see all the angry people in the pictures!! hope so.

Peter , manchester, Great Britain

This is a great service, I loved traveling around London without leaving my home in Santa Monica. Beautiful City & People. I hope to visit for real someday.

Ken Snyder, Santa monica, CA, USA

I live in Cradley, Malvern and the Google car appeared outside my house this morning - we can't wait to see it on Google Street Views. I can't see what harm there is and I think it's great especially if you are thinking of moving home to another area - see before you buy!

Jane, Cradley, Malvern, UK