Google never asked me if they could publish photos of my home address - and invade my privacy with their online 'Street View' maps!

I was chatting on Messenger recently, to an ex-boyfriend who now lives overseas. He asked me which Suburb of Sydney I was living in. "Do you live near the Football field?"..."Yes I said, in ____ Avenue, it's a cute little white house!". I thought nothing of this, since he was a world away, but what he said next left me totally shocked! He said "And do you have a red mail-box with a tall tree next to it, and a double driveway at the front, leading to your front steps?"..."Yes" I said - confused about how he might have guessed this. "And do you have a red-brick house nextdoor? With a boat parked out the front?", "Yes" I said. "You must live in Number 12 ___ Avenue" he said. Within minutes this man had home address. And I was left dumbfounded!

How did he do it? He'd given me my full home address when he's been living on the other side of the world for years! I hadn't told him the number of my house, or even described it in detail. What was going on? He had used a readily available virtual Map called "Street View" at Google Maps. He was viewing my front steps on his computer at that very moment, while I was at home inside.

I held off calling him a stalker until he told me about this online map! And I was really freaked out when he told me about it! How could Google become 'Big Brother' watching over my house, and putting clear and close photos of it on the internet? Surely not! I'd had absolutely no idea this was infact the case, and not an isolated one either.

I went to the website and typed in my parents address, and there was their house up close too (and they live on the opposite side of Australia). I could see their cars out front, that their flowers in bloom were pink, and take a virtual walk down their street, past their neighbours houses. I had seen Google Earth before, but nothing like this, it's a clear ground-level view. You can actually quite easily 'turn around' (it's as if you're walking or driving), view my street from the right and the left, turn the corner and follow me all the way to work if you wanted to! Freaky!

I was also shocked that it appeared to take such photos, someone would have had to drive up and down every street to take them - and I hadn't known about it, or been given the option to 'opt out' of this service!

I am a single woman, and what's not stopping my ex-boyfriend from oneday turning up on my doorstep, or any other person for that matter! Thankgoodness I don't have enemies as they could probably plan a perfect place to hide and pounce on me between my place and my work car-park if they took a good look at the maps!

I live in a suburban area - the streets here lead to other streets, there's no business operating in the adjoining roads - Why do they deem it neccessary to publish the homes we own, in full view for anyone, on the internet? Even objectively it seems uneccessary! How many people say to their partner - Hey honey, lets put some photos of our family home up on the internet with our address! I don't think so.

I phoned my parents and told them about this, and they were just as shocked as I was. I wonder how many people don't know about it, and how may ex-husbands who use it looking for their wives, or criminals to plan their crimes! Potentially it seems dangerous, but in my case I see it as an invasion of privacy, and am waiting for a reply to my request to Google to take the photos of my house off their website!

Want to see if Google has photographed your street yet? Google Maps 'Street View' is here: http://maps.google.com.au/help/maps/streetview/

I still find it shocking and hard to believe! Google Street View - I want out!

StricktlyDating

http://strictly-dating.blogspot.com/