A Peeping Tom Named Google

NOTE: This article contains satire and is not to be taken seriously.

Google has updated their Google Maps with a new feature that allows one to see various metropolitan areas, along certain streets, in a ground-level, 360 degree shot. This new feature has been named Google Maps Street View. Some are claiming that this is a way for people to "spy" on others, despite the fact that shots are not live. There have been reports of one being able to see into some open windows and observe (old) snapshots of certain personal acts.

Now, I find this to be insanely stupid. First of all, either a Google employee or someone from a related company had to go out into the streets of New York (among others), set up a tripod on the sidewalk, mount their camera, and finely focus each shot as they went along. If someone had a problem with being caught in a photo shoot by the strange guy taking pictures along the streets, they should damn well have moved out of the way. As for those whose actions can be seen through their open windows, it seems to me that if they don't care about the throng of folks walking along the street who can see, why should they care that, with very careful searching and much eye-straining squinting, one may be able to make out something going on in the dark interior of their apartment? Even if the details were crisp and one could see the facial features, Google admits that the Street View is not completely accurate to their map, so it would be very hard, if not impossible, to locate said person (and for what reason?).



No, this is just another attempt by whiny people to poke a booming business (retort), in this case Google, with some kind of crime to make them the enemy. As for me, I adore most Google products (obviously Blogger being one), though I admit freely that Google Video is redundant compared to YouTube, and far less pleasant to use.

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