Google Street View Invades Criminal’s Privacy

In the pursuit of both irony and justice British police have released a picture of a suspect of an RV/camper theft at the scene of the crime taken by a Google Street View car by coincidence (unless you think the Google driver was in on it) and are using it in their appeal to the public for further information.

He’s seen standing next to what is presumably his getaway car. Unfortunately for the cops and caravan owner, Google, in their efforts to placate privacy nuts and to get sued less, blurs out license plates including his as one of the authorities explains: “I’ve made extensive enquiries since the image was discovered but because the registration plate of the 4×4 is blanked out, we have been unable to trace the man through his car.”

They are asking that if any of you recognize this guy to call them on whatever the UK’s country code is plus 0800 555 111 which, by the way, you can do right on Gmail for only two cents a minute (they comp you ten cents) from the States, though that would be one hell of a coincidence, wouldn’t it, someone in the US reading my article with a Gmail account and a microphone who knows some random man in the UK who may like to steal things in addition to that country code.

Doug Simmons