Spotting Googlebot in the street

[kidder]

Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia - Ok so it was not exactly Googlebot but today I went to collect some things with my father in law and about 4 blocks from our house at an intersection I spotted an unmarked car with the big camera stand on the roof. There was no Google branding on the car but I'm quite certain it was the same setup that Google was using for the street view work they started a while back. I guess they are out and about for a fresh crawl of the area, my first thought was to race back to my street and throw up a noindex nofollow sign... On a serious level I was trying to explain it and Google to my father in law wo knows nothing of the internet and he found the whole thing a bit spooky, I have to agree.

[spadilla]

"race back to my street and throw up a noindex nofollow sign"

Haha! This gave me a good chuckle - thanks!

[almighty monkey]

There was no Google branding on the car but I'm quite certain it was the same setup that Google was using for the street view work they started a while back

Interesting jump of logic going on here.

I'm sure a psycologist would find it illuminating.

[leadegroot]

I've thought for a while that Google should supply a QR-code type image to print out big and display on your house as an automated way to not be included.
Not that they've been past here, way in the boonies as we are - the nearest Maps image is about 8 km away, by road.

[kidder]

"Interesting jump of logic going on here"

Not at all, when Google started this stuff a while back the cars were all over the local press. The camera equipemnt is pretty distictive as well, unless of course Bing is getting in on the act.

[images.google.com...]

[piatkow]

If/when they re-do the UK I wonder if the drivers will get stopped under section 44?

[kidder]

Section 44 ?

[piatkow]

the powers which UK police (mis)use to hassle photographers in the street.

[HuskyPup]

I'm in the Uk and have to go 60 miles to find a street view but what I find interesting is that none of Germany, Austria and Belgium has street view as well of all of former Eastern Europe.

Is there any specific reason for this?

[piatkow]

Different laws on street photography? Local police being supportive of objecting residents? Google just haven't got around to it?

[jtbell]

none of Germany, Austria and Belgium has street view as well of all of former Eastern Europe.

According to a map in the Wikipedia article on Google Street View, Germany, Austria and Belgium are marked as "planned" for Street View service, along with several other European countries that don't currently have it.

With respect to Germany, specifically, it notes:

In an April 2009 interview for the magazine Focus Google's Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer remarked that "public opposition to Google Street View in Germany, though not hysterical, had been tougher than in any other country."[204] On the same occasion he stated that the project has now been "essentially aligned with the concerns of data privacy advocates," and that "specific privacy tools would be developed for the German launch while imaging continues at the fastest possible pace." The option to have specific images removed would also apply for locations in Germany.

[Silvery]

Alternatively, I can think of some businesses who haven't been photographed by "Googlebot in the street" who'd love to post a "Site Map" showing where they're at!

[Bewenched]

"race back to my street and throw up a noindex nofollow sign"

hahah..... I was thinking more on the lines of waiting patiently, then mooning it....