Google Street View cars caught snooping on school grounds

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 07 August 2008 13:20

Business IT - Networking

Google's Street View images are supposed to be taken only from public roads, but the camera cars have found their way onto school campuses.

An examination of Google Maps shows that the grounds of at least two schools in Melbourne's eastern suburbs have been surveyed for Street View.

Images taken on Wesley College's Glen Waverley campus have been taken down by Google (presumably at the school's request), but those of Caulfield Grammar's Wheelers Hill campus were still available when iTWire checked earlier today.

The two schools' other campuses do not appear to have been photographed, except from surrounding streets.

Some images of Scotch College are visible, but they too seem to have been taken from a public road. Curiously, it is one of very few side roads in the immediate area for which Street View is available.

Other schools that are only visible from on-street images include Presbyterian Ladies College, Xavier College, and Methodist Ladies College.

Although iTWire has not made an exhaustive search, no state school campuses in the area appear to have been entered by the Street View photography cars.

What did Google have to say about the matter? Find out on page 2.