UPDATE: An official complaint has just been made to the Information Commissioner over Google Street View. Is the service about to be shut down?
Google Street View has been available in the UK for just over 24 hours, but dozens of photos have already been removed as a result of user complaints.
As we reported yesterday, there have been privacy concerns over the service in the past, and it seems that they’ve quickly reared their head (blurred out or not) over here. According to the BBC, several users have baulked at seeing themselves pictured in less-then-ideal circumstances (throwing up outside a pub, being arrested and walking out of a sex shop are examples), leading to complaints and Google pulling the offending images.
Removed images are replaced by a black screen bearing the legend “This image is no longer available”, but in some cases you can still see the subject from slightly further down the street. Ha!
In other Google Street View news, stripy-jumpered wanderer Wally has already been found, and two celebs have been spotted: comedian Dave Gorman and masked Top Gear wheelman The Stig (although the latter is apparently a cardboard cutout in a BBC window, so it doesn’t really count).
Out now | Free | Google Maps (via BBC)
