A gaggle of residents in the affluent hamlet formed a human chain to turn away a car shooting images for Google Street View, the popular service that allows Internet users to see high-quality photos of houses and streets around the world.
Broughton's tiny victory for people power is the latest sign of concern about the U.S. Internet juggernaut's collection of vast amounts of data, from satellite photos on Google Earth to the searches performed by Internet users and the shopping habits of e-mail users.
“I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane,” villager Paul Jacobs told The Times of London newspaper. “My immediate reaction was anger: How dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent?”
Jacobs quickly rounded up his neighbors, who blocked the road and forced the car to retreat.
Just goes to show that real time grassroots organizing is possible. Great to see somebody stand up to Google Big Brother.