jsinger - 2:48 am on Dec 21, 2012 (gmt 0)

They rolled this out in test cities several years ago. A young girl phoned, said she was with G and asked permission to take some pictures. She was pretty vague about it; I doubt G itself knew precisely how they would use it. The girl knew almost nothing.

I was there when she arrived with her camera a several weeks later. She didn't ask to go into our stock room or our offices. She said she wasn't allowed to include customers or employees. The pics of our business didn't show up online until a year afterward. Those somewhat limited shots are still online.

Lately I've been seeing more-panoramic shots of other businesses. G's technology is improving. You can virtually wander almost anywhere in the customer-accessible areas of the business.