Google has just photographed my road and caught me on camera as well. I have emailed them to say that they do not have my permission to use my image. Do you have any details on how to stop this ridiculous breach of privacy?
Samantha Samuel
It's perfectly legal to photograph people on the street - CCTV cameras do it all the time - as long as it's not for commercial gain. In any case, the UK's independent Information Commissioner's Office has already given Google the go-ahead to take photographs for its Street View service. It said: "Although it is possible that in certain limited circumstances an image may allow the identification of an individual, it is clear that Google are keen to capture images of streets and not individuals" (PDF).
Google has developed a system for blurring numberplates and faces and in difficult cases can remove someone altogether. It also provides what the commissioner said was "an easy mechanism by which individuals can report an image that causes them concern to Google and request that it is removed". You don't write in. You find the image online and click Street View Help in the top right hand corner of the image window. Then you select "Report inappropriate image" and fill in the form.
