Google Finds No Privacy On Private Roads

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Google’s Street View team has people pretty damn mad over the company’s blatant disregard for "no trespassing" and "private road" signs. Why this surprises anyone is beyond me, Google’s own Vint Cerf is quoted in the article saying "there isn't any privacy, get over it."

In an episode reported recently by the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, a Street View driver cruised past two "no trespassing" signs to collect images of a residence that is 1,200 feet from the public road. "It isn't just a privacy issue; it is a trespassing issue, with their own photos as evidence," resident Betty Webb told the newspaper. "They really went off the track to get to our address."
 
I don't buy into the privacy violation hype over Google StreetView, but going up a private road is crossing the line. Its like going into someones driveway.

As far as everywhere else, its fair game. If you dont mind hundreds of drivers zooming by and seeing *whatever*, then the even fewer number of people who happen to stumble across you on StreetView shouldn't be a problem.
 
better hope they are not minorities in wisconsin doing this for google or their asses getting shot... welcome to wisconsin redneck backwoods country..

its only time before someone gets shot.
 
Private roads? Give me a break. There are tons of private roads around here, they us a different color road name plate.... they are just like any other road, except marked "private" with the different color name.

I can see no trespassing, but private roads... lol.


People are way way way too paranoid these days, they tend to also forget that I can get a 360 of their home via satellite.
 
I don't buy into the privacy violation hype over Google StreetView, but going up a private road is crossing the line. Its like going into someones driveway.

As far as everywhere else, its fair game. If you dont mind hundreds of drivers zooming by and seeing *whatever*, then the even fewer number of people who happen to stumble across you on StreetView shouldn't be a problem.

Private road is different than private property (not always, but most of the time). Private road could mean it's a road designed for little traffic use, road that is not paved, sub development road, road link not intended for traffic redirection, or just a road owned by the community. A private road could also be one owned by a HOA or co-op homes. Toll roads are considered private roads also.
 
Going on a private road is traspassing and they should be prosecuted. They being the people at google who told the poor guy driving the vehicle he had to or he would loose his job. Santa Rosa is CA, right? Doesn't CA have a bunch of laws abuot photographs being taken while trasspassing being used for profit, etc etc?
 
If it's a publicly accessible road, then it is not trespassing if you go on it.
 
Going up someone's driveway to get video of thier house hundreds of feet off the road, tresspassing, is grounds for getting you ass shot off.

If'n I ever get a private road, I'll just use that nice popup metal barrier shit. "So boy, how you gonna explain to Mr Google why your imaging truck is 3 feet in the air, impaled on my security barrier?". :eek::rolleyes::p
 
I bet if a person put 2 or 3 rounds of ammo through the radiator of one of Google's camera cars trespassing on a private road, then held the driver at gunpoint and filed charges for trespassing, Google might start to get the message. Especially if it starts to happen on a regular basis.
 
I wonder how well this works for google's Texas teams?
 
We were walking to the car in the drive way when our street photo was taken, Pretty cool and who gives a s*#t.

Don't people realize that they a probably phototgraphed a few hundred times a day during their walkabout.

The private driveway: is it really? What it means for sure is the owner is responsible for it's maintence not the city or county. How many houses are back there? Does that mean no fire, no police, no mail no public utilityu vehicles are allowed. It is on the map and I think there is something about a right of way, like the 4 feet from the edge of the sidewalk the city claims as a right of way for utilities. If you don't want anybody to drive down the access put a gate on it.

Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.
 
I bet if a person put 2 or 3 rounds of ammo through the radiator of one of Google's camera cars trespassing on a private road, then held the driver at gunpoint and filed charges for trespassing, Google might start to get the message. Especially if it starts to happen on a regular basis.

I'd just put a bullet or two through their expensive camera rig. That'd be fun. Haha.
 
I wish I knew when google was going to update my home pic so I can just lie down neked in my driveway when the pic is taken.
 
These "new" corporate entities are going even further into the invasion of our privacy and civil liberties than ever before. How long must we wait for congress to wake up and make laws that catch up with the times and stop this madness?

Google is turning into one of the worst culprits of all. Sometimes I wish it'd just go bankrupt.
 
Wow, you guys are crazy. Yes, I agree, the street view guys should not be allowed to drive on private property. That being said, private roads are *not* the same as private property, as others have said. Many government-owned roads are marked private.

As for shooting the car, camera, or driver, good luck defending that in court. Now, if the driver were actually on private property (not just a country road marked "private"), and if you had previously warned him to leave..... well, it's still not acceptable to destroy his private property or harm him. I seriously doubt those "you're allowed to shoot tresspassers" laws would actually hold up in a US court. I would hope not. There's a proper level of respose for every action. And shooting someone is almost never proper.
 
Privacy is dead. You may not like it, but that won't change the fact. Already there are cameras (like in London) and satellites tracking everything. There's also tracking of chips in passports, credit cards, drivers licenses etc. made after 2005. Every mail, message, phone call etc goes through a screening process and it certainly is not getting any less easy to track people in the future.
 
I can't believe some people are all up in arms about privacy. Especially about something as trivial as this.
 
If you don't restrict access, then people are free to enter, it is the owners fault for not properly securing the entrance to his property. It is a free country and we are free to drive down your driveway just like you are free to put a gate up to stop us.
 
While I agree privacy is dead, driving a quarter mile down someones driveway/private road is trespassing. As far as I am concerned if you're trespassing, you could be a threat and I do have a right to defend myself against any threat.

I am sorry some feel differently but once you're on my property you had better have my permission or leave when asked. If you take anything while there including a picture that is theft, because you had no right to be there in the first place.

Privacy may be dead, maybe next week google will declare anonymity is dead and start installing spyware on everyone's machines and tabulate all data. Maybe since privacy is dead they can also remotely activate every webcam in the world and watch whomever naked whenever they want too right? Privacy is dead right?

Besides this is google streetview. A private road and/or residence isn't whats its supposed to be about.
 
Going up someone's driveway to get video of thier house hundreds of feet off the road, tresspassing, is grounds for getting you ass shot off.

If'n I ever get a private road, I'll just use that nice popup metal barrier shit. "So boy, how you gonna explain to Mr Google why your imaging truck is 3 feet in the air, impaled on my security barrier?". :eek::rolleyes::p

I'd just put a bullet or two through their expensive camera rig. That'd be fun. Haha.

Its funny how people think we live in the dark ages or something.

You cannot in any state in this country shoot someone for entering your driveway or even your property for that matter. Put up any signs you want but its not 1812 shooting a tresspasser thats on your property simply dont fly anymore. If they step foot in your house, garage or car some states have different laws however no state allows you to shoot people driving in your driveway or walking in your lawn.
 
Yes, we don't have a lot of privacy anymore but that does not excuse trespassing. Private roads near where I live are just that, private. They are really just long driveway going to multiple house. They were built by the contractors and owned and maintained by the owners of the houses. Driving on such a road is trespassing just like walking up in their yard. And yes, that could get them shot. And the homeowners would be in their rights. Google is overreaching yet again.
 
If you don't restrict access, then people are free to enter, it is the owners fault for not properly securing the entrance to his property. It is a free country and we are free to drive down your driveway just like you are free to put a gate up to stop us.

I seem to have read that there was a "No Trespassing" sign, or maybe two. As far as the law is concerned, that is as good as a gate. If you don't have business with me or anyone else authorized to be on my property, you don't pass that sign. Driving down my driveway to take pictures of my home does not qualify as having business with me. Now if Google wants to pay me for that, it would be a different story.
 
a private road doesnt count as trespassing to me... if it has a sign saying 'no trespassing' then thats a different story.
 
Hhahahah, you americans are funny, So quick to bear arms to blow the shit out of something.
 
Its funny how people think we live in the dark ages or something.

You cannot in any state in this country shoot someone for entering your driveway or even your property for that matter. Put up any signs you want but its not 1812 shooting a tresspasser thats on your property simply dont fly anymore. If they step foot in your house, garage or car some states have different laws however no state allows you to shoot people driving in your driveway or walking in your lawn.

checkout the castle law in texas. If I feel my life is in danger by you, i.e. if you step on my lawn and it's at night and I think I see a gun (i.e. my life is in danger), I can shoot you.
 
I seem to have read that there was a "No Trespassing" sign, or maybe two. As far as the law is concerned, that is as good as a gate. If you don't have business with me or anyone else authorized to be on my property, you don't pass that sign. Driving down my driveway to take pictures of my home does not qualify as having business with me. Now if Google wants to pay me for that, it would be a different story.

Actually this is not true.

Although this is not the case for all roads, but in many cases they are subject to a prescriptive easement

Prescriptive easements are a type of implied easement, in that they arise even though they are not expressly created or recorded. Unlike other implied easements, however, prescriptive easements are hostile (i.e., without the consent of the true property owner). Prescriptive easements do not convey the title to the property in question, only the right to utilize the property for a particular purpose. They often require less strict requirements of proof than fee simple adverse possession.

Once they become legally binding, easements by prescription hold the same legal weight as written or implied easements.
.
 
Legally, you have as much right to drive on a private road as you do across thier front lawn. The law sees absolutely no difference between the two.
 
damned california hippies....
let 'em try driving up my private road.... i'll give 'em both barrels,
and i don't mean rubbermaid
 
Wow .. a lot of people seem to think its acceptable to shoot at someone for driving up a private driveway. That is really quite disconcerting and I'm glad I don't live there.
 
Actually this is not true.

Although this is not the case for all roads, but in many cases they are subject to a prescriptive easement

.


Private roads don't fall under prescriptive easements.

A public road is a strip of land that is owned by a city or county (or bigger goverment for things like Iinterstates). When a new subdivision goes in the file something called a plat. This takes one title to 40-40,000 acres and creates 2-100,000 indiviuale plots out of it. Hence the term sbudivision. All of the land that they want to build roads on (the road, the curbs, and then some check your plat for how wide it is, generally ~60') is then dedicated to the city or county. The city/county then agrees in exchange for them building the roads to maintain them. Gated subdivisions do not dedicate the land to city or county, but instead to a HOA, or a form of a HOA. The HOA then allows the property owners use of the easement. Alternatively, if you own a single plot of land, and you build a road on it, you still own the land under the road. If you got the city to maintain the road for you, then you might have problems with a prescripitive easement. If the city were to "accidently" maintain the road for you, then you probably wouldn't. In this case, they built a road on thier land, posted signage that said it was a private road, and google's team tresspassed on thier land. The road belongs to them, not the city.
 
This is the same company you trust just about everything you do online because at the time their motto was:

"Do no evil"

Google is not the same company it was when it was a start up and making big waves in the industry. All the data they kept int he YouTube case should be evidence of enough of this.

Honestly if i was in the same situation and found that car on my road/property it would be a very long day for the person involved.
 
checkout the castle law in texas. If I feel my life is in danger by you, i.e. if you step on my lawn and it's at night and I think I see a gun (i.e. my life is in danger), I can shoot you.

Wrong.

If thier just on your lawn you still do not have the right to shoot even in texas. If that where the case you could shoot everyone that uses your driveway just to turn around or school kids that walk in your lawn.

castle law said:
An intruder must be making (or have made) an attempt to unlawfully and/or forcibly enter an occupied home, business or car

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Doctrine

Read up before saying more stupid shit please.
 
Its funny how people think we live in the dark ages or something.

You cannot in any state in this country shoot someone for entering your driveway or even your property for that matter. Put up any signs you want but its not 1812 shooting a tresspasser thats on your property simply dont fly anymore. If they step foot in your house, garage or car some states have different laws however no state allows you to shoot people driving in your driveway or walking in your lawn.

I don't know about anyone else, but I was just joking around. Relax :p I think most of us know we can only shoot someone if we have reason to feel that we or anyone on our property is in immediate danger.
 
Wrong.

If thier just on your lawn you still do not have the right to shoot even in texas. If that where the case you could shoot everyone that uses your driveway just to turn around or school kids that walk in your lawn.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Doctrine

Read up before saying more stupid shit please.


Every law enforcement offical i know of will simply tell you to make sure you drag the corpse across the threshold. :eek:
 
Private roads don't fall under prescriptive easements.

A public road is a strip of land that is owned by a city or county (or bigger goverment for things like Iinterstates). When a new subdivision goes in the file something called a plat. This takes one title to 40-40,000 acres and creates 2-100,000 indiviuale plots out of it. Hence the term sbudivision. All of the land that they want to build roads on (the road, the curbs, and then some check your plat for how wide it is, generally ~60') is then dedicated to the city or county. The city/county then agrees in exchange for them building the roads to maintain them. Gated subdivisions do not dedicate the land to city or county, but instead to a HOA, or a form of a HOA. The HOA then allows the property owners use of the easement. Alternatively, if you own a single plot of land, and you build a road on it, you still own the land under the road. If you got the city to maintain the road for you, then you might have problems with a prescripitive easement. If the city were to "accidently" maintain the road for you, then you probably wouldn't. In this case, they built a road on thier land, posted signage that said it was a private road, and google's team tresspassed on thier land. The road belongs to them, not the city.

Most private roads do fall under prescriptive easement in the fact that the "No Tresspassing" signs do not stop the public from traveling on them, and since no other actions are being taken to prevent the tresspass often a prescriptive easement is created.

The notable exception would be gated communities. On the shoreline in CT it is not uncommon to see gates on roads of communities that have beach access. Often every other road will be closed every other day, or in some cases the road may be closed once or twice a year. The reason this is done, is that as soon as the association closes the gate and blocks public access to the street, the clock on the creation of the easement is reset. Otherwise it is often safe to assume that no such efforts have occured and a prescriptive easement is in place.
 
Roads are implied to be public unless there's a reason to believe otherwise. A sign doesn't cut it; most people's internal spam filters will block non government standard signs as advertisement.

If you don't want people driving up your lane, put up a gate.
 
I also want to point out this part of the definition that i used earlier. This is really the key.

Unlike other implied easements, however, prescriptive easements are hostile (i.e., without the consent of the true property owner).

Basically if you do not take proactive actions (a no tresspassing sign doesn not cut it) it is assumed that you have consented to the hostile action of the public's trespass and an easement is created.
 
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