If that photo is representative of the extent of GBlur then they might as well not bother. Distinct physiques, distinct clothing, only slightly blurred faces and the obvious point of the locations being a predictor of whether it's a given person in shot (e.g. a view happens to be near a person's workplace).

Surely the next step for this technology is just to blur the ugly people.

think that the guy on the far right is aiming a gun at someone?

Pah! Due to their continued use of ancient map data for my corner of Switzerland, my whole street - now 11 years old - fails to appear on either their 2D or satelite maps, so I can probably forget about them needing to blur my face for another quarter century or so.

I was captured by one of their cars in London (with the TXi logo on) outside work having a crafty ciggie. I'm tall, have long hair and was stood outside my office.

If some of the people I've lied to about giving up smoking (parents) were to check my office on streetview, it would be pretty obvious that it was me still.

Will they also blur the face of my kitty that's sitting in the window? Animals are people too!

More reasonably, you want your expensive/attractive stuff to be hidden from view, so blurring should also apply to flat screen tv's etc, but then presence of blurring shows interesting thing to be there.

I hear from that arrested pedophile that blurring can be undone? Oh no, that was the swirl-blurring, maybe not this type.

Two phrases you don't often see in the same article:

"state-of-the-art automatic face detection" and "stricter privacy safeguards"

Mine's the tin foil donkey jacket.

"We've always said Street View will respect local laws..."

Obviously not the ones about driving over a pedestrian crossing while there are people on it.

That explains what happened to Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope. I bet the little green men wanted their privacy :)

"If some of the people I've lied to about giving up smoking (parents) were to check my office on streetview, it would be pretty obvious that it was me still."

Mmm, yeah. Or they could just go to your office. IMHO all this is doing is enabling people to see something which was in the public domain in the first place, but without having to get off your butt. It's not as if it's searchable by people's names.

I have a right to privacy! If i'm walking down the street in a busy city I insist that everybody close their eyes and respect my RIGHT to walk down the street without being looked at.

Have you *been* to New York? Let's not get carried away, here!

What, that village next to Shiremoor?

I'd prefer it is Google put happy smiley faces on everyone caught on camera!!

Google is too arrogant, they will go down soon ...

Advanced face recognition ? whats advanced in that .. it was long long used ... i guess they should stick to search and stop trying to do everything, they dont know anything.

"I'd prefer it is Google put happy smiley faces on everyone caught on camera"

The Laughing Man logo, surely