back to article Google's Street View spycar clocked in London

It's time to lock up your daughters, and here's why: The roving spycar of Google's Street View has been spotted prowling the mean streets of London... Google's Street View spycar spotted in London Good work there by the undercover missus of El Reg reader Ziad al-Hasso. Doubtless she'll soon be exposed on Street View, as will …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Ah

    I think I saw this car today in Edinburgh, I was having a cheeky cigarette at the time at work. I hope the missus doesn't see it.

  2. Steve Cass
    Go

    Not just London

    I've seen it over the last week or 2 roaming the streets of Edinburgh.

  3. Craig

    Is this news?

    'Cos my other half spotted one in Birmingham earlier this week :)

  4. Mark Walker
    Alert

    Googlies

    God help us if it gets out to Essex during the summer - there'll be "ladies" flashing their googlies in every frame!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Kids

    Don't panic, the school kids will be out soon, and before you know it they will be pelting it with rotten eggs and rocks. Balance should be restored soon.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Also seen in Frankfurt / Germany....

    ... probably caught me looking in disbelief at the strange car passing me in the street while I was out fetching coffee for the boys.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Opel

    Looks like an Opel, are these spy cars imported from the continent?

  8. Sean Baggaley

    Old news.

    I saw an identical car driving around Brockley (London SE4) a couple of weeks ago, so they've been here a while.

    I'm surprised it's taken this long for a photo to pop up. (I was driving, so I couldn't take a snapshot.)

  9. Matthew Caley
    Happy

    Seen in the Principality too

    The Google Street View spycar was in Cardiff yesterday, I waved so hopefully will be immortalised acting like a loon on a street corner.

  10. Richard Lubomski
    Black Helicopters

    Also in Leeds

    About two weeks ago this vehicle snooped past my office building... i was gawping at the google bus like a tool... can't wait to see my stupid look in google street view!

  11. Tim

    Legality?

    There's 2 pertinent angles to this, firstly privacy: they are welcome to retain a copy of my image, should they take it, provided they pay the annual fee as outlined in my terms & conditions. They should also contact me for permission beforehand, so I can be sure to be wearing my Sunday best.

    Secondly, I can't help wondering how this vehicle fits in with the recent police, er, crackdowns on people taking photos in public places. Indeed, what if it is driven by a swarthy, bearded, backpack wearing gentleman, or his Brazilian lookalike?

  12. Hans

    Not just London - everywhere

    There must be a flood of them.

    I was caught by one, quite inadvertently, three times last week in my home town.

    Quite discrete, just a plain black hatchback with a single "google" decal on the side doors.

    Huge pylon sporting multiview cams sprouting from the roof is a bit of a giveaway though.

    Thought it was a new Police/DVLA number plate recognition machine at first till it pulled up for a red light. (OK, so it was in the red light district, what d'ya expect?)

    Funnily enough, I was actually talking to my gay lover on a mobe while my other half believes I was at a wireless networking conference in Basingstoke

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Wait until Paris!

    Maybe in one will get burned when it photographs the suburbs.

  14. gothicform
    Black Helicopters

    One law for Google?

    So they are going past schools taking pictures? Past police stations taking pictures? I hope police keep stopping them for being suspected paedo-terrorists or is it ok for Google to go around the streets taking pictures of everywhere when we can't.

  15. andymurd
    Happy

    Leeds too

    Didn't get a snap of it, though.

  16. Mark

    Middlesbrough too

    2-3 weeks ago my boss drove past the Google car on the A19.

  17. Ivan Headache

    how long .....

    before the driver (or crew or whatever is inside) get arrested for taking pictures of buses? (or heaven forbid, children walking in the street)

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Google can take pics where ever the hell they want...

    ... and post them all over the internet without so much as a by-your-leave-guvnor!

    Why don't the plods stop them? Can't have something to do with them being a Mega corp?

    Perhaps I should wear a Google hat and t-shirt next time I'm out taking pictures in a public location.

  19. Carl

    Construction and Use?

    Surely an ordinary car with a contraption that size on the roof can't be legal in the UK?

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Someone tell the police ....

    That any terror-bent psychos can simply look up all UK infrastructure on Google - Maybe if they realised that one of the biggest internet companies on the planet has already done a bigger job than any small 'cell' could do then they would lay of us photographers/videographers.

    I will personally give £500* to the first El Reg reader who snaps the Googlebug car, cameras and operator getting confiscated/arrested. What a laugh that would be!

    *T&C's apply: Anon

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ Mark

    I'm sure they were just going through Middelsbrough to get somewhere else. I mean, would anyone ther actually know how to turn on a computer let alone access Google Street View.

  22. Nick Hill
    Coat

    Opel..

    Like the other poster - why a UK (London - Wimbledon 2008) registered Opel? Perhaps from Eire?

    Why does this sort of stuff even bother me!

    Need a lie down.

    Mine appears to be the anorack....

  23. John D. Wilson
    Black Helicopters

    Paisley Too!!!

    Spotted in Paisley

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    how long before it's on maps.google.co.uk though?

    My neighborhood only recently appeared in streetview but the pics look to have been taken in the October/November timeframe.

    They obviously swooped in unnoticed, as there's nobody in view, and thus nothing interesting to see.

  25. Pete

    Re: Opel and Re: legality

    AC - the continental Opel is the same thing as the UK Vauxhall.

    Tim - the owner of a photograph is the photographer, not the subject. The only case where it gets more complicated is in private property, which the streets of $UKcity aren't.

    Police appropriation of stuff also isn't relevant unless they're loitering, which is a bit difficult not to do when you're stuck in London queueueueueueues...

  26. shaun

    OMG FFS

    Aren't there enough cameras in London already, surely they could just get some shots from those instead of this silly enterprise......unless the camera's already there are crap......

  27. Eddie
    Joke

    Quick question...

    I wonder why the Police aren't cracking down on these potential terrorists and paedophiles as all photographers are nowadays, the police have told us this so IT MUST BE TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!22221111.....

    ah, who needs the twatotron

  28. Craig

    Where do I claim the £500?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2584019149_edae7039fc_b.jpg

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    @ Hans

    You're other half called the conference - I managed to cover for you. Was stuck on the Basingstoke bpass for hours trying to get home.

    paris? 'cos she'd probably bypass Basingstoke too.

  30. Eddie Edwards
    Paris Hilton

    Owner of photographs?

    "the owner of a photograph is the photographer, not the subject"

    That'll be why models sign release forms ...?

  31. This post has been deleted by its author

  32. lansalot

    and..

    It was in Inverness last week, never saw it myself (so nothing to tell the grandkids about), but various friends did.

    Curiously, some odd-shaped aerial-looking devices popped up on a few lampposts at the same time. Still not got to the bottom of that one....

    Like an inverted capital F, they are cable-tied on. Any ideas, helicopter-watchers ?

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    @Pete

    'Police appropriation of stuff also isn't relevant unless they're loitering'

    So you mean that as long as when I want to take photo's in public as long as I am walking or running or if I don't stop to look at the pictures I've just taken on my camera or playback some video then nothing will happen to me!

    I thought nothing would happen to me because it was the law!

    Thanks for your reassurances - though it's a brave man who chooses blind faith and puts them to the test!

    Coat - the one with the SD memory cards, spare batteries and mini DV tapes in the pockets (well - they were in the pockets before the police went past the coat rack .....)

  34. Rob Jones

    Also spotted in Telford...

    ...looking lost whilst driving around the town centre.

  35. Colin Jones

    Seen (and snapped) in Cardiff

    http://www.colinjones.co.uk/images/googlecar3.jpg

    He was on his mobile, and left as the bus approached the stop... while still on his mobile! ;)

  36. Kenny Millar
    Jobs Halo

    @Tim

    Look, Tim, if I can see you walking down the street, and I can remember that I saw you walking down the street, then there is NOTHING to stop me taking a picture of you walking down the street. A photograph, or even video, is just a permanent reminder of something the photographer saw. If you don't want to be photographed, then don't leave the house, and keep your curtains shut.

    Oh, and buy a Mac, they are better than windows machines.

  37. Andy Kay

    I was following this in Leeds

    it was the same car (tell by reg plate) on 12th June. btw he was quite rude in assuming I'd let him out of a junction - typical southern driver! he then proceeded to snap away without prior permission!! (LEDs flashing on the camera equipment) whilst merrily strolling along past the main white building at Leeds University.

    I didnt pull a face or flash anything a) because I was driving and b) quite shocked at his cheeky junction-exiting manoeuvre

  38. Anon Koward
    Joke

    Basingstoke?

    So when was this confernce in basingstoke? And is it a gay only event?

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    @Craig Re: £500

    'Where do I claim the £500? '

    a) There's no arrest or confiscation evident

    b) It's not in the UK (T&C's*)

    c) I believe the officer is actually asking "Does my bike look big in this?" and noting down the web address the pics will be on & drivers details so he can go check.

    *T&C's state everything must be in UK & done UK stylee - that's at least a tacit "or we'll log onto the PNC and amend your details to terrorist/paedo" if not an all out (erroneous) "we think what you're doing is illegal - therefore it is"

    Coat: Yep - pockets weren't empty but tapes and SD cards had been wiped

  40. Jeff Wojciechowski
    Stop

    "The Septics" spotted one

    Saw one roaming the streets of northwest suburbs of Chicago last week while at a stop sign.

  41. Paul Fleetwood
    Black Helicopters

    so that's what that was

    I saw it last week in South London, and couldn't work out what the hell the device stuck to the cars roof was for.

  42. Ivan Headache

    @Spotted in Paisley

    No. they're all black.

  43. Brian
    Flame

    Don't let him near Bracknell...

    Or he'll need a new camera, car, wallet, clothes...

  44. Mr Smin
    Alien

    that's put my mind at rest

    I was following one in my RRV in Oxford last month and wondered what the dickens it was. Glad it wasn't the lizard overlords survey vehicle.

  45. Andy Kay

    car photographer caught out?

    Judging by the angle of the shot of this GoogleCar, it seems it was the driver who took this photo, and looking at the quality, it must be from a camera-phone, therefore slap a nice 3pts + £60 fine to Mr Ziad al-Hasso and posting it on the web ;)

    mines the one with the blue flashing lights

  46. Neil
    Coat

    Spotted in Liverpool

    Bricked up with no wheels and the cameras stripped off the roof.

  47. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Scroogle

    Get your scroogle t-shirts and hats £15 each ;)

  48. Elmer Phud
    Alien

    @ Mr Smin

    "Glad it wasn't the lizard overlords survey vehicle."

    Who do you think are in charge of Google's takeover of the planet?

    When we are all totally reliant on Google for everything IT they will just pull the plug and humans will turn on each other while the lizards feed on our pain.

    's obvious, innit?

  49. J
    Joke

    Stop complaining!!!11!eleventyone!

    If Google is taking pics (and posting them online to add insult to injury!) in the streets, then you can too! All you have to do when you're getting [arrested | your stuff confiscated | your Flash wiped] is to point out to the police that Google does it too so it must be legal, and all will be fine and they'll let you go in peace.

  50. Grant

    Eddie Edwards and Tim

    Tim - public place, no right to privacy and anyone can take your photo. Despite all the efforts to the contrary that is still the law.

    Eddie - Model release is only required for commercial use, in fact it isn't always required but very few places will take stock of identifiable people without a model release for legal protection.

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