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EPPING FOREST: Google Street View to reveal '90 per cent' of district (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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EPPING FOREST: Google Street View to reveal '90 per cent' of district
3:38pm Tuesday 9th March 2010
ALMOST every town, village and road in the district will appear on internet virtual map Google Street View from this Thursday (March 11), it has been announced.
Currently only a few small sections of Epping, Thornwood, Loughton, Abridge and Chigwell are covered by the website.
Street View has attracted controversy with concerns over privacy and safety of the people, vehicles and properties captured in the series of photographs which make up the map.
But Google spokeswoman Laura Scott said: "There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Street View has led to an increase in crime anywhere in the world.
"If people want to have their house removed from the site they can easily do so, and we fully expect people to do that.
"We have also blurred out licence plates and faces of those featured, although of course we may occasionally have missed a few and would encourage anyone to get in contact if this is the case."
It is estimated that around 90 per cent of roads in Essex will be featured in the new version of Street View, although Google says it has no exact statistics for the proportion of areas covered in the county.
The sections of the district currently covered by the website were added in March 2009.
What do you think? Are you pleased or worried about the increased coverage in the Epping Forest District? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625 or via email at dbinns@london.newsquest.co.uk
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Your Say Your Guardian
, says...
ConcernedofLoughton, Epping Forest says...
3:45pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Ulysses31, says...
4:21pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Katie Rolt, Theydon Bois says...
4:34pm Tue 9 Mar 10
ConcernedofLoughton, Epping Forest says...
4:40pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Ulysses31, says...
4:50pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Katie Rolt wrote:There is no way you can directlty attribute increases in burglary to the introduction of streetview, unless you catch the burgulars and they confess to using streetview in their preparations. You'll also find most burglars come in from the back and only something like birds eye view on multimap rather than streetview could possibly be utilised by them. Most likely cause of increased rates over the past few years is the economic recession and you'll find that burglary and car crime has already increased in the borough which currently has no streeview.
Burglaries have increased in Thornwood since it appeared on Google Street View!
mr rusty, Harlow says...
4:56pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Hugh Jed, Woodford Green says...
6:32pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Also look opposite Larkswood leisure centre at the kid flicking of the camera, classic Chingford youth.
loughtonkid, Loughton says...
6:50pm Tue 9 Mar 10
But, with Streetview, ANYONE can go on it, not just government workers, so I do feel slightly concerned that me or my house will be on the website.
Although, many people say there will be increased burgularies/terroris
m with Streetview. But, what is so different from a Burgular/Terrorist from just walkiing or driving down your road to make their plans?
simonwesker, chigwell says...
2:20am Wed 10 Mar 10
alexb424, says...
3:31am Wed 10 Mar 10
Hugh Jed wrote:Lol, classic.
I am absolutely disgusted by this. My mother was around when the van came and now anyone who looks at my house will think I have a really cr*p car.
Also look opposite Larkswood leisure centre at the kid flicking of the camera, classic Chingford youth.
Maybe text and email everyone you know a.s.a.p and explain your situation. Or hack google and photoshop it?
alexb424, says...
3:31am Wed 10 Mar 10
Hugh Jed wrote:Lol, classic.
I am absolutely disgusted by this. My mother was around when the van came and now anyone who looks at my house will think I have a really cr*p car.
Also look opposite Larkswood leisure centre at the kid flicking of the camera, classic Chingford youth.
Maybe text and email everyone you know a.s.a.p and explain your situation. Or hack google and photoshop it?
EppingForum.Co.Uk, Epping says...
9:48am Thu 11 Mar 10
I have requested my house be removed and would urge others to do the same.
If you're interested in getting together to try and get the whole of Epping removed from Streetview then please register at EppingForum .co.uk and show your support.
Hugh Jed, Woodford Green says...
10:41am Thu 11 Mar 10
If you're interested in getting together to try and get the whole of Epping removed....
"I'm in dude".
mr rusty, Harlow says...
11:15am Thu 11 Mar 10
I expect you think they wear stripey jerseys and have a bag with swag written on it as well!!
What do you think they do? Look at your front door and think I'll do that one? Talk about paranoid!!!!
Katie Rolt, Theydon Bois says...
11:33am Thu 11 Mar 10
EppingForum.Co.Uk wrote:Hear, hear. Count me in!
I reckon Ulysses31 and a couple of other Streetview fanboys here either work for Google or are deluded. Why make it easy for burglars to case up an area by having it all online and waiting for them?
I have requested my house be removed and would urge others to do the same.
If you're interested in getting together to try and get the whole of Epping removed from Streetview then please register at EppingForum .co.uk and show your support.
Ulysses31, says...
12:25pm Thu 11 Mar 10
EppingForum.Co.Uk wrote:Well to maintain consistency I hope you also contact Multimap and ask them to remove the Birds Eye view of your home and town which shows it at any angle from the sky including your back garden/doors/windows and if your house has back access. If you haven't done this then you are the one that's deluded as that's far more revealing than Streetview, or didn't you know about that one?
I reckon Ulysses31 and a couple of other Streetview fanboys here either work for Google or are deluded. Why make it easy for burglars to case up an area by having it all online and waiting for them?
I have requested my house be removed and would urge others to do the same.
If you're interested in getting together to try and get the whole of Epping removed from Streetview then please register at EppingForum .co.uk and show your support.
mr rusty, Harlow says...
1:42pm Thu 11 Mar 10
I'd also suggest a high front hedge in case one walks by (you never know...)
Of course, a half intelligent burglar would look at streetview and target the houses that've been fuzzed out, on the basis that they might have something worth nicking!!Good job burglars aren't normally too bright.
EppingForum.Co.Uk, Epping says...
2:42pm Thu 11 Mar 10
If you want to find a house with certain characteristics - location, density of housing, window/door type etc this can be done easily with Google Streetview. What more could a burglar need?
hans moleman, london says...
9:36pm Thu 11 Mar 10
mr rusty wrote:Hahaha nice post.
And perhaps you should also request that the CAA ask the crews of overflying aircraft on the way into and out of Stansted to close the passenger blinds because you never know, a burglar on his way back from a holiday he paid for with stolen dvd players might be looking out!
I'd also suggest a high front hedge in case one walks by (you never know...)
Of course, a half intelligent burglar would look at streetview and target the houses that've been fuzzed out, on the basis that they might have something worth nicking!!Good job burglars aren't normally too bright.
There really are some grumpy old drama queens on here.
hans moleman, london says...
9:36pm Thu 11 Mar 10
mr rusty wrote:Hahaha nice post.
And perhaps you should also request that the CAA ask the crews of overflying aircraft on the way into and out of Stansted to close the passenger blinds because you never know, a burglar on his way back from a holiday he paid for with stolen dvd players might be looking out!
I'd also suggest a high front hedge in case one walks by (you never know...)
Of course, a half intelligent burglar would look at streetview and target the houses that've been fuzzed out, on the basis that they might have something worth nicking!!Good job burglars aren't normally too bright.
There really are some grumpy old drama queens on here.
Walthamstow noob, Walthamstow says...
12:35pm Fri 12 Mar 10
You really are fighting a losing battle, state and consumer surveillance is going to increase whether we like it or not. Cameras are getting smaller and smaller each year and soon you won't be able to tell who is using them because you won't know they're there. There are already consumer versions of remote control camera drones, so what are you going to do when the criminals start flying those over your area to view real-time video of your houses?
girlfromessex, Loughton says...
3:07pm Tue 16 Mar 10
Ulysses31, says...
5:35pm Tue 16 Mar 10
girlfromessex wrote:If you think that's bad there's a house on the corner of Birch Close (Buckhurst Hill) that is currently on for sale that is actually being built on a spare bit of land whilst the streetview van goes past. Don't know if that'll put people off buying the property as the developer has made it look like all the other houses on the road so buyers assume it's as old as them.
I don't mind my house appearing on the site - it is no different from walking past, but did they have to choose a day when we were having a new drive laid. All you can see are builders, workmen and a skip out front!
Places such as Epping High Street, which is currently viewable only at a distance on Google Street View, will soon be available for all to see online.
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