With sightings of the Google car spreading across Scotland - the mobile camera has been spotted in Aberdeen, Inverness and Ullapool recently - a number of people across the country seem keen to voice their concerns.Still top of the agenda is a worry about a lack of privacy. After one American gentleman was caught on camera entering an adult bookshop and one man was snapped looking as if he was in the middle of breaking and entering, the public seems to be concerned that the car will spot them up to no good or in an embarrassing situation. If you do find yourself the star of a Google Street View photo, you can ask for your face or number plate to be blurred out - although not everyone thinks this offers a suitable level of anonymity.
Some people are less worried about themselves than they are about the implications these photos may have for children. They have suggested that by flicking through street view photos, child abusers could determine specific areas that children play in and then target them in real life. This warning is rebuked by others who say that as the Google car drives around during broad daylight if it can find children then anyone could. Some even reverse the argument by saying that Google's addition to it mapping service would allow worried parents the opportunity to seek out any potential troublemakers in their area.
Whilst there have been plans to try to ban the car from taking photos in UK, none have come to fruition, at least not permanently. Despite Google's reputation as the king of the internet, the car found out that it isn't above the law as it was given a ticket in London.
