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potatolicious
> "The English, you see, haven't completely warmed to Google photographing their neighborhoods. They have, on occasion, chosen to block their streets"

Funny that the people would get up in arms over this but yet be pliant to the CCTVs that are so common over there.

nvoorhies
There's quite a bit of difference between representatives of your government doing something for the ostensible intention of making areas safer, and a corporation doing something similar with the intention of making a profit.
detst
There's also a big difference between a static image and 24-hour live surveillance.
sjf
Especially a static image will be publicly available for years (estimated, I don't know how often street view updates).
c1sc0
At least for companies you know their motives: profit. This makes them predictable in ways that political motives never will be. Once this kind of surveillance capacity is in place, there is no going back, even if the politicians (and the motives driving them) can and will change for the worse.