Google Knows Where I Live
Posted on July 2nd, 2008by Michael Gray in Google
Last night I was using Google Maps to get directions and noticed a new feature, a camera icon located next to each of the steps on Google Maps. When I clicked on the icon I saw a picture of my house!
That’s my house, the blue one on the right. That’s my gold Toyota Highlander parked in the driveway. I can tell you even more, they took this picture the last two weeks of October 2007. How do I know? Those globs in the window they are Halloween Pumpkin decorations my wife and the kids put up. What … we are Columbo and Monk fans, I notice things like that 
So how does Google know it’s me? After a few Google map searches from my IP where I specify my starting location as my house address, it’s not unreasonable to assume that’s where I live. If the New York Times could find Thelma Arnold after AOL released some unsanitized search data, I’m pretty sure the engineers at Google could do it, on large scale and automated fashion.
So why does this matter? Google could have software to analyze the images and suggest advertising to me. They could see I have an SUV and suggest aftermarket parts like Nerf Bars. They could look at my lawn, see it’s brown and suggest underground sprinklers. Looking at my neighbors house you can see an in the wall AC unit, maybe they could suggest central air advertisements to them.
Now don’t get me wrong adding these pictures is very cool, and in many cases very helpful. If you don’t know where you are going, being able to see it before, and spot landmarks, is definitely helpful. However it’s also very very creepy. This has been a problem that has plagued scientists and engineers since the beginning of time. They develop new and interesting technologies without stopping to think about the consequences of those decisions.
I know the people out Google don’t see what they are as privacy invasive, but given the recent disclosure that Google is using cookies and IP much more than they previously let on. I really think as an industry we need to look at these issues, sooner rather than later.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 4:19 am
Great! - Now I’m visualizing Matt Cutts singing “Every Breath you take by “The POLICE.” as he peeps through your office window.
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you
Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you
Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 am
So, at least we gaze upon…Graywolf Towers
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 am
A Gold Toyota Highlander …. Michael I AGREE TOTALLY on the Google points.. but A Gold Toyota Highlander
Dave
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:18 am
We can only hope that the power of Google will not fall into the hands of a fascist dictator.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 am
@DaveN: heh I do a lot of schlepping of kids and stuff around and a SUV is way cooler than a minivan. I was looking at a BMW, but looking at the amount of goldfish they smushed into the seats I’m glad I didn’t get the BMW
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
“So how does Google know it’s me?”…
I don’t think Google necessarily knows it is you, but they do know that you were using GMaps for directions. Hence you entered in a starting and ending location and they served up the corresponding snippets from their Street View info for each segment. Not so sure there is anything personally identifiable about it as they didn’t serve your house pic until you requested it as part of your directions…am I missing something more conspiratorial here?
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I don’t think you are going to have to worry, at least for a good long while, that Google will be analyzing these images to target ads. Extrapolating the contextual elements out of pictures and tag them accordingly has proven to be extremely elusive so far from an algorithmic perspective, some companies that try and pull details live you suggest out of a picture like the one posted above have even resorted to Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to get the job done, humans just do it better. For that reason Google isn’t going to try and sell you Nerf Bars for your Highlander simply because they can’t scale the data extraction needed to pull it off in a profitable manner.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
We all make jokes about this, but for people buying & selling houses, Google Street Maps is a pretty big deal and it’s quite fortunate that you’re weren’t in the middle of a construction project or holding a garage sale when you were photographed.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Miles Dyson doesn’t work for Google… I checked.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Yes. I agree that this is creepy. I shouldn’t be, but I’m still surprised by how much “data” we are constantly entering into our computers and the search engines. It seems a bit strange and unfair to have an automatic “opt in” with no “opt out.” Your only option is to use a “less good” search engine.
Their privacy policy can’t even begin to be all-encompassing b/c they keep changing the “rules.” They keep “innovating” the rules. I am a great believer in technology and innovation, but Google definitely does seem to becoming more privacy invasive and big brother-esque.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Seeing your house must be creepy … but so is the end of that video. She had no answer to a legitimate question so the production does a lot to distract people from the answer.
Previously it was all head shots - when she has no answer it it drifts back to show more of her and her nice winsome smile. That’s psychological and that’s what’s really creepy.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Michael, I think you need to move. Not because you live too close to your neighbors, but perhaps because it really is creepy to see you own house on the internet when you don’t give permission.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:11 am
That is scary. My first reaction was that I am happy for being in Europe, however I doubt it will take long till they find my house.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:05 am
At least Google knows where you live. My new house is in a new area, and the street doesn’t exist in GMaps (or any Tele-Atlas driven sites). The street is over 1 year old!
Do you have any idea how hard it is these days to give directions when you can’t just say “use Maps”?
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 am
That is definitely very creepy. The images can be equally used by Assassin ;).
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Great stuff! Google took a picture of my house on garbage day…very attractive looking!
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
tonyrocks.com/index.php/social-networks/twitter-streetview-stalker-20/
July 4th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
How do they get an angled/ground level shot like that?
July 7th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Just to add a bit to this post… Michael, it’s not just the Google has your info and may sell it to advertisers or that it may get to a third party engine like AOL. BTW, all that data that was leaked from AOL… that was Google data. It is also concerning about what data gets to those companies that want to take Google to court. Case in point… the recent Youtube spat with Viacom:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=9242
July 7th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Its this kind of thing that really shows how much search engines need a regulatory body. Im sure it will happen soon but probably only after an unsavoury incident sparks it off.