Zulu Digital | Google releases UK Street-View product

For our American readers, please forgive us. We know that this service has been available to you for around two years, but here in the UK, the Google Street-View service has only just been released, and needless to say, we love it!

Google Street-View allows for members of the public to view 360-degree scenes from a number of UK based cities, including Birmingham, Nottingham and London. Users are also able to, in effect, walk through the roads of the cities in which they live or are interested in.

We’ve spent some time playing around with Google Street-View, walking around Birmingham, and we’re amazed at how Google has been able to accomplish this incredible feat. If you haven’t checked out the service and it’s capabilities yet, be sure to put some time aside to have a play!

Regardless of our views and our obvious excitement about this development, Google has been under pressure from the UK public following the launch of the service, - highlighting privacy and security issues as prominent concerns. Whilst faces, vehicle registration plates and inappropriate images have, on the most part, been removed, many people are worried about their properties being freely available to be viewed by all, within the online environment. Addresses, property access points and security alarms are amongst the key concerns, which have surfaced. The question is, is this any different to people simply walking down your street and looking at your house, and so, is Google really breaching our privacy rights?

Despite the privacy issues, we’re all excited about the potential, which the service has, as well as the potential, which Google has to further bring the world into a closer environment. These developments represent the advancements which Google has brought about to the online environment, - extending far beyond basic, text-based search. The Internet is becoming an even more exuberant and abundant resource of information, and the future is without a doubt, bright.

Why not let us know what you think about Google’s Street-View product? We’d love to hear from you.
 

Author - Tom

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