Think about it. I'll give you a minute.
I've said for a while that once the federal government takes over Google (which they will or have), they will know much more than NSA, the FBI, and the CIA combined. Now, lookie here... A guy taking an unauthorized snack break and a conspiratorial meeting, both in Berkeley. No longer a mapping tool, this is a real look at the real world.
Soon, it won't be the clearly marked Google van periodically "mapping" streets soon. It will clandestine, real-time, federal vans conducing surveillance under the guise of mapping. Get enough of these vans (or whatever) and you could have dozens of cable channels devoted to a very new, very real, and very interesting reality.
Yep, I've gone all libertarian here, but long before "the horrible attacks of September 2001," traffic cameras were being installed nationwide. Then, TIA decided (oh you Total Information Awareness?) that it would be interesting to link all those cameras together. That way, you could follow a vehicle in real-time. It would "allow law enforcement to catch criminals." Or, it could be the perfect tool to spy on people.
Now, under frighteningly expanded federal executive powers, telephones, mail, and commercial transactions could be documented, archived.
Now, don't get me wrong, I still believe Google to be the good guys. But, shit, the unintended consequences are somewhat disturbing.
Where can a fella go to have the perception of privacy anymore?
On the positive, the artistic potential is huge. Anyway...
See:
Google News search for "Google street view."
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