Google car attack treated as vandalism
Wednesday 29th September 2010, 2:29PM BST.
THEY have managed to survive the mean streets of Johannesburg, Mexico and Moss Side, yet two visiting Google Street View cars were targeted in the car park of the four-star St Pierre Park Hotel in Guernsey.
The vehicles had their tyres slashed between 8pm Wednesday 22 September and 7.45am the following day.
And yesterday a spokeswoman for the internet search engine said she believed it was the first time one of its cars had been targeted.
‘We believe it is the first time something like has happened,’ she said. ‘We cannot be totally sure, as we visit up to 20 countries at a time. There has probably been bits and bobs, but nothing like this.’
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It’s not a nice picture for Guernsey, but there are plenty who disagree with the privacy breach by Google.
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Are you kidding me? Privacy issues or not, this is an absolute disgrace.
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‘A NONNY MOUSE’ is absolutely correct. Slashing the Google cars tyres is a disgrace and lacks class. Better would have been to take the car down to the harbour at high tide and roll it into the sea. Today especially, privacy issues are paramount. Think of the consequences without them. Hitler, for instance, would love it. End of story.
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That Google Street View cars survived their trips through Mexico and Johannesburg but not Guernsey is not surprising. All of the Mexican and UK, and most of the S.A. imagery was shot before Google’s WiFi scandal. The notoriety they’ve gained since will probably make the Street View driver’s job a risky one from here on out … anywhere.
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a bit careless of the all seeing ones?
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I wonder what this utterly idiotic gesture does to the claims of those who are happy to blame “foreigners” for all our ills?
The Google car survives some of the roughest cities in the world (all inhabited by non-Guerns) yet as soon as it comes here it gets trashed in the car park of a four star hotel.
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If this was done as an objection to the right of Privacy, I wholeheartedly agree with it and I think more should be done about the whole thing.Do you know that you can enter any address in any country and it will be brought up on screen, showing the whole property as well as items such as vehicles and Rego numbers and any thing else that is in the backyard. And you don’t consider this to be an invasion of Privacy, Think twice about this, Big Brother is watching you also “A nonny mouse”
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So Margaret Le Page you are in agreement with slashing someone’s tyres causing x amount of damage in the name of privacy? When if you don’t want your property on Google earth all you have to do is ask them to blur it out and remove the reference. Which they will do by the way.
Well, unlike you Margaret I’m against vigilantism as it just doesn’t stop with slashed tyres does it? At which point does it turn to personal violence? I’m sure at that point you would be saying that the Google earth employee (wife, kids at home, goes to work does a job, goes home) had it coming.
Thankfully we live in a civilised world where opinions like yours are a minority. Otherwise I would lie awake at night clutching my baseball bat with one eye on my bedroom door.
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Margaret Le Page, that is the most discussing comment i have ever read on this forum, on this subject or another – you agree with law breaking if you don’t get your own way? Which Dave correctly points out, you can change with a simple e-mail.
THAT, is exactly how wars start.
Despicable.
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@ Margaret Le Page
As I don’t agree with your comment, perhaps it would be acceptable to smash up your computer?
FYI you cannot see ‘Rego numbers’ as they are blurred, and you cannot see anything that you couldn’t view ‘live’ if you drove or walked past.
People should be more worried about the data Google collects from you searches than a photo of your house!
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4 star hotel and no CCTV…..
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@ Margaret Le Page.
I’m well aware that Big Brother is watching me too (although I pity him if he is – not much excitement round these here parts).
But as I said in my first post, IMO, the privacy issues aren’t the ‘news’ in this story. Of much more importance to me is that somebody felt the need to express their views in such a destructive manner. If the message he/she wanted to get across was that the Google car was (in their opinion) an unwelcome visitor to the island, would a little note saying as much, placed under the windscreen wiper, not have achieved that.
Sadly, this type of unwanton destruction (and your pardoning of it), is a sign of the times. Whatever happened to articulating an argument and presenting it in a respectful manner? Heck, if this vandal had rallied troops of similar minded people, a placard-waving picket line would have been much more effective. Not to mention legal…
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Margaret, your post is, at best, incorrect. Check your sources of information.
Google’s software blurs all human faces and number plates. Any that slip through are blurred manually, but this is a low occurrence as the software is overcautious and appears to blur anything resembling plates or human skin. You can also ask for something to be blurred as long as the request is reasonable. Google cannot unreasonably refuse.
You say you wholeheartedly agree with it? If I took a photo of a house, which happened to be yours, you’re saying you’d slash my tyres and this would be appropriate? Most interesting.
Do you know the information you describe which is available online is available to anyone? Have you ever been in a plane? They have windows, you know? This information is made for the purposes of wayfinding, and cartography.
I’d also like to know why you imply Google is Big Brother? What evidence do you have that they even employ thought police or that they are trying to make you declare your love for them?
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There was a funny thing on Watch Dog tonight, they mentioned this and also mentioned that Google do not want the local ITV to film the damaged cars.
I found it funny, as they care about their privacy but are quite happy to film everybody else… I agree with Margaret.
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Well now that the story has just been broadcast on Watchdog on BBC1, a few more million people will now have a less than favourable opinion of Guernsey.
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Have a look at my house in England on Google Street View
Copy and Paste this into your browser…
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rg26+5xp&sll=40.75844,-73.985195&sspn=0.075546,0.143681&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tadley+RG26+5XP,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.322366,-1.046118&spn=0.00021,0.001123&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=51.322346,-1.04609&panoid=QHlAfuk7Oh7RTQlN7D3wzg&cbp=11,338.95,,0,5
You can see my house on the right of the picture with two red garage doors (now painted white – Google visited Bramley a long time ago!)
You can see my car number plate is blurred and you can see very little about my house you couldn’t see from walking past. It’s really not a huge invasion of my privacy. Certainly nothing to go slashing tyres about.
By the way this house is still for sale, 4 bedrooms, four reception rooms £369,000. What a bargain!
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Claudia:
I don’t think for a second the people who did this are concerned with the Wi-Fi scandal, or even know about it! I’m prepared to bet they’ve never read a newspaper or watched the news. This is the work of mindless morons who want to fill their day with upsetting others. They have seen a good target and have gone for it.
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Why vandalise the Google car, then claim its against big brother??? Do you lot not realise that on your own doorstep you have the eye in the sky called ” Digimap” and I beleive was introduced by a Guernseyman. address can be found in phone book.Don’t beleive anybody burnt down that building , must be on a par with tyre slashing. After all Cadastre use it to calculate how much you pay and check up if the info you gave about outbuildings/boundaries is correct.
Leave Google alone they will not harm you
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@Emma
Thank you. That is a really helpful illustration of how unintrusive it is. I just don’t get what people are afraid of.
That said, you need to wash your car and sort that tree out – its blocking the give-way sign ;-)
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Margaret and Greg
I look forward to disagreeing with you on something, so that I can go and trash your cars safe in the knowledge that you will grant me that right.
The vandalascious BTF
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Greg Gregson/GG, Google may well look to investigate and prosecute therefore would understandably not want too much publicity that may damage their investigation.
So you are both (GG and Margaret) in agreement that if I do not like something that you are doing (because in my opinion it offends me) I can come round and smash your PC? Genuine question, would really like to know your answer to that (because I highly suspect that you will have double standards).
Google didn’t break the law, they did something that certain people didn’t like. A lot of people do things every day that I don’t like, however, I haven’t (yet) decided that I should punish them by vandalising their property.
I think you’re right Truth Man. This is most likely the work of someone who took it upon themselves to slash a well known organisation’s car….mainly because they’re an idiot. The intelligence (or lack of) of some people astounds me. Margaret I suspect probably regrets what she’s said now that everyone has posted their comments about it. An age old tale of mouth before brain but hey we’ve all done that. GG you’re just winding people up…per usual. I don’t think for a minute that you agree with everything you post you just do it for shock tactics. Otherwise we would see a lot more news worthy stories of right wing activists. But you haven’t done anything have you? Apart from get your kicks by posting on here…ah that must be so satisfying.
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Why are you putting /GG? Either call me by my initials or my full name please. Don’t swap.
“Greg Gregson/GG, Google may well look to investigate and prosecute therefore would understandably not want too much publicity that may damage their investigation.”
Still funny, why would they want to protect their privacy if they’ve been breaching all of ours over the past few months. If they come over again I hope they cut all the wires on the top too!
Google is making millions out of it’s Street View through advertising etc. But we don’t see a penny of it.
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Greg Gregson/GG, you are missing the point – they are not in any way breaching our privacy and to the contrary if you don’t want your house on Google (which by the way isn’t a breach on your privacy in case you didn’t get that the first time) Just e-mail them! Stop moaning!
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I agree with you Greg but I don’t think vandalism is the answer. We should do what the Germans do and outlaw Google totally. They don’t want their privacy invaded and have told them so. Maybe we should have done the same and anyone who thinks it is totally harmless think again!
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Nice house Emma. Security alarm under the roof eaves but if I got on to the garage roof I could probably climb shimmy along and get through the bedroom window, the one with the pink curtains and the owl statues on the cill.
I noticed you have double glazing as detailed by the open window, the lock exposure gives me an idea of type of tools I need to bring along.
Car type was useful information also, I’ve done those before.
Don’t worry about the estate agent, I’ll let myself in.
Still like Google Street View?
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Point to prove – so you couldn’t get that info by staking the house in your car on the roadside?
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Why would I bother looking suspicious around Emma’s house, its a busy residential area? Far easier to case it from my armchair.
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Point to prove – Thats the worst argument i’ve ever heard ha ha. The information google provide is exactly the same information you could obtain by walking past the house! Still hate street view? Without reason?
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Point To Prove – As Lynnie says, you can see all that from the roadside, so rather a pointless point to prove I’d say. We can’t stop baddies from wanting to break into our houses, even people with very long driveways and electric security gates get burgled.
Townie2 – Yes, tree needs cutting back, will put that on my “to do” list. Can not wash the car though. Is only the dirt holding it together…
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I can’t believe this is being so hotly debated. What we saw with the Google car was pure vandalism, clear as day!
You cannot/should not attempt to justify that it was in anyway just! If you have a problem with what Google represents or what they are trying to do, take it up the the correct people, don’t just go around and cause hundreds of pounds of damage just because you spat the dummy!
These people need to grow up and stop thinking of themselves as attivist towards the protection of Guernsey’s privacy!
My2Cents
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Point to prove, well said. If you were planning a robbery and you knew the person was wealthy, but perhaps they lived 50 miles or so away (UK example), it would be simple to draw up diagrams using Google Street View. Heck you could even print out some maps for directions to the house!
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Point to Prove:
Criminal = Opportunist nearly 100% of the time (in cases such as low level acquisitive crime such as burglary). Do not kid yourself that house burglars of the calibre to which you refer are at home pre-planning their ventures.
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This will possibly be the only claim to fame that the people who did this will have in their little lives, it beats vandlising toilets in their equaly small life freinds estimations.
And for those going on about Google breaching your privacy, well your a bit late!. Parish officals have been using Digitmap for years to moniter what people have been doing on the part of their properties that cannot be seen from the outside.
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At least where i come from they would steal the wheels out of the need to feed the family. Slashing tyres is an act of a prety useless human.
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lovely advert for Guernsey..
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African
Is that meant to be a joke? where do you come from?
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Shame on you Marg Le Page !!! What a disgrace of a woman suggesting that it’s ok to go round smashing things up if you don’t agree with it. You really should think beofre you open your mouth you silly woman.
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That’s it
no cars allowed on Herm, I am going to make my world even smaller than pathetic guernsey.
Hello Herm, goodbye World
BTW now the EU is finally starting to attack the tax heavenand they succeed, we will finally have our island back to ourselves. yes I would leave Herm for that!
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I’m pretty sure vandalism and vigilantism are two pretty different ideals.
One is mindless, thoughtless.
One is bringing rough justice to the streets of Gotham…
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Those vigilante idiots should be ashamed of themselves.
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True guern:
Even Herm isn’t safe. They now have a Google Street View Trike!!
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/street-view-we-can-trike-wherever-you.html
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Oh MY!, Did I set the cat amongst the pigeons? It so happens I don’t agree with Google, CCTV cameras, Digimap, or eny eyes in the sky. My views on war would also be very very contraversial so we won’t go there. But Google,CCTV.Digimap and eyes in the sky are the thin edge of the wedge, where will you all be when in the not SO distant future The Powers That Be will decide to micro-chip everyone at birth? Pushing up daisies as I will be. Too late then! By the way I’m no crank or nut case but that to could be disputed. However I will leave you all sitting in little old Guernsey with your daydreams. Best of Luck.
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Margaret, having your own opinion is all well and good but it does transcend into something totally different when you applaud vandalism for things you don’t personally deem as being acceptable.
You may feel quite amused by the response that your comment had but I don’t think you’ve really thought through what you have implied. I also think it’s quite amusing how you are quick to disagree with a number of web based programmes which stores personal information whilst commenting on a forum where your IP address is now forever stored and a number of TIG employee’s can view. Not to mention the cookies you are probably downloading without your knowledge and collecting all sorts of personal data.
As other’s have stated I doubt very much that the person responsible for this vandalism gave two hoots about invasion of their privacy but did it to cause a reaction.
Why would you resort to such measures when you can easily have your details removed from Google? All this has succeeded in doing (as it has made the national headlines) is making Guernsey look like a redneck backward community. Hmmm well done us.
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Having been living in SA for the past 3 years (some of which was spent in Johannesburg, i am from Guernsey, i find this hilarious. Yes the crime in SA is bad but like most other countries it depends what areas you are in. And yes Guernsey is still a safe and beautiful place but you do get the odd a*#$hole who thinks he is “well hard” in front of his mates and does something stupid like this. Maybe it is vandilism, but if this happened to any other car in Guernsey would it make the headlines? Oh wait yes maybe it would! The British media does convey SA in a very bad light but speak to anyone who has been and spent a decent amount of time here and i am sure they will back me up in saying what a beautiful country SA is!
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They were vandals not vigilantes!
Hang on a minute I have a call from the red phone…
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Margaret, building on what Lynnie has said…I would advise you to not even bother using the internet if you are so concerned with these privacy issues.
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I find this rather hilarious. Google can afford to pay for the damage and no person was injured. I applaud those who poked fun at these symbols of the infringement of our privacy.
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HM:
The sad thing about forums like this is that idiots like you have a voice.
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Right back at ya Truth Man. Google will have made a few million from their visit to Guernsey, through marketing and advertising of Google Maps. Yet you won’t see a penny.
I hope the cut the wires of the cameras next time, give us all a good ol’ laugh in the office on a Wednesday night.
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What a shame there are such ignorant people in the Guernsey, let alone in the world that think it’s ok to law break if there view disagrees with what is being proposed/ actioned.
I truly hope you people, Gregory, Margaret, HM don’t ever have an opinion that someone with a similar view on this subject disagrees with.
Other than that, unfortunately we will have to beg to differ…. Poor you :-(
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If it was a car full of paedos, most of the “aghast” here would be in the lynch mob, or making necklaces out of their tyres. Hypocrites.
Instead it is a car full of peeping Toms.
At least goggle are now putting something more back into the local economy – hotel stay (now elongated) fuel, tyres…
This will probably double their spend.
And it may attract all sorts of tourists that wish to pay homage to the goggle resistance.
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What if it was a car full of animal haters wanting to kidnap and torture puppies?
What if it was a car full of racist and religious nuts wanting to act out extreme violence on god’s will?
What if it was a car driven by an English driver who had been spotted not using a filter properly?
@Bob, But it was neither of those things or any of the things mentioned in your post. Therefore “what if” is of no relevance. That is not the definition of hypocritical. For the record I’m against any sort of vandalism when issues can be dealt with by other legal means. Which I already stated can so be done in this case. This wasn’t a car full of nosey parkers but a car driven by employee’s who work for a company and do a job like we all do. You don’t want your property on Google you send them an email and it is then blurred out. There we go problem sorted. But then people like you (and Margaret, GG etc) tend to make bigger issues out of little minor situations. Is this going to majorly affect your life? Er… no.
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Bob, that was the best opening line to a comment EVER!
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I know this is gonna get wiped but I am feeling tipsy and slightly mischievous…I love the way the google cars have survived some of the worst human rights contravened countries on the planet..all i can say is, thankyou the neds, screwups and losers from Guernsey. They have RPGs in mexico, a murder to population ratio in Joburg that would would make your eyes water and yet we manage to vandalise googles cars here. Lovely. I am honestly impressed. So is google. Tourists come here please?
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GG:
I won’t see a penny?! Of course I won’t, Google is a service provider – they give you and me FREE services 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again GG, think before typing.
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