Google aren't so stupid as to not be aware of the privacy issues surrounding their Street View feature; since its launch they've made it clear that you can request that images be removed using a simple procedure which they outline in this video:

But one Pittburgh couple who – much to the delight of industry commentators – are called Mr & Mrs Boring, are suing Google for $25,000 for the supposed mental anguish of discovering images of their house on Street View, and the associated loss in its value. The pictures of their house are no longer available on the site; this is as near as you can get before the censor kicks into action. The Smoking Gun website, however, has grabbed the pictures, pointing out that Google's car must have actually been parked on private property when the pictures were snapped.

Google are shrugging their shoulders, pointing out once again that they freely offer the ability to request removal of images, and that the overall benefits and usefulness of Street View outweigh the privacy issues.

Certainly, the ability to check out an area you've never visited before you visit it is a wonderful thing, and doesn't necessarily make you a peeping tom. But, at the same time, is the privacy of this man – and indeed the woman he's looking at – being violated? Is this man really trying to break into a property? And do any of these people know that we can see them?

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