Latest news with #StreetView
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Friends Spot Google Street View Car, They Know Exactly What To Do
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Two friends spotted an opportunity to do something wild, and have now been immortalized on Google Street View, with thousands joining in on the fun. Liz Aldridge, 56, and her friend Tina Sheppard, 63, were recently walking together in Bournemouth, southern England, when they spotted a Google Street View car ahead of them on the road. The vehicle, equipped with a camera system on its roof, has visited all seven continents, capturing images of more than 10 million miles around the world, according to the Google Maps website. While faces are blurred to protect identities, the car has picked everything from the bizarre to the heartbreaking, including images of people who have since passed on, with their families still able to see them walking down the street on Street View. "We were walking along Alma Road when it passed us the first time, and we jokingly said that we'd missed our opportunity to do something crazy," Aldridge, from Poole, told Newsweek. "We then turned into Waterloo Road and, after a couple of minutes, realized it was coming toward us again." And, determined to do "something crazy" in the hopes the image would be immortalized on Google Maps, the duo turned to each other and began play-fighting, "laughing the whole time." The women thought no more of it—until weeks later, when Aldridge checked Google Maps for 16 Waterloo Road, Winton, Bournemouth—and found them there in full fight mode. Liz Aldridge and Tina Sheppard play-fight on Google Street View. Liz Aldridge and Tina Sheppard play-fight on Google Street View. Liz Aldridge / Google An image taken outside a Waitrose grocery store shows the women with their faces blurred and their arms grappling each other—and, to the uninitiated, it looks exactly as if the Street View car captured a brawl between the people on the street. Aldridge shared the story to the Dull Men's Club on Facebook, writing: "A few weeks ago I was walking along with a friend and we spotted the Google maps car heading our way. "We turned to each other and started clowning around before falling about laughing. Welcome to my 15 minutes of fame." Fans of the page were in stitches, awarding the photo more than 82,000 likes, as one commenter called it "superb," and another praising the "outstanding work." "Hysterical!" another wrote. "I had to go on Google Maps and find out, brilliant!" And as one person summed it up: "I'm in tears at this pure work of art." Aldridge (left) and Sheppard (right) pose together; and, right, their image is seen on Google Street View. Aldridge (left) and Sheppard (right) pose together; and, right, their image is seen on Google Street View. Liz Aldridge / Google Aldridge told Newsweek she posted the photo to Dull Men's Club "just because I was a bit excited that I had actually found it on Google maps. I honestly was not expecting the reaction it got! "I kept going into my husband with updates on how many reactions it had had. I let Tina know, and she has told everyone she knows as well." In an update on her Facebook post, Aldridge said she was "blown away by the amount of people liking and commenting on this post. I really didn't think this would happen so thank you. You've made an old(ish) lady very happy. "Oh and if anyone spots it on a YouTube video about crazy things on Google maps please let me know!" Newsweek has contacted Google via email for comment on this story. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures you want to share? Send them to life@ with some extra details, and they could appear on our website.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Homeowners paint VERY blunt message on the roof of their house for anyone looking at their property on Google Maps
A disgruntled homeowner has left a rude message on the roof of their property for anyone peeping on Google Maps. Huge black letters spelling 'F**K YOU' were painted on the home in Mississippi, US. The outrageous move has left curious theorists believing that the explicit message is intended for Google Maps. With the property blurred from Street View, some Redditors speculated it was to do with the person wanting to keep their privacy. 'I imagine they had Google blur their house on Street View (ya know, for privacy) but Google wouldn't do it for Satellite View, so this was the homeowner's response,' one user wrote. 'They've had their property image blurred from Street View as well... hah!' someone added. 'Do you think they realise this only draws more attention to them and not less?' another said. Home-owners can ask Google Maps to blur their 'entire house, car or body' by submitting the request with the 'Report a problem' tool. This image will then be blurred on Street View over privacy concerns. However, they will not edit the satellite view. Google has been contacted for comment but they had previously confirmed 'Google does not itself blur satellite imagery'. They said: 'Google Earth is built from a broad range of imagery providers, including public, government, commercial and private sector sources – some of which may blur images before they supply it to us. 'Such imagery is commercially available on the market (including to other map services) from third party providers. Any inquiries should be directed to that provider. A Reddit user added that the roof has since been updated to 'EAT S**T', although this is not reflected in the satellite imagery. Last year, another property similarly wrote a blunt message on their roof to stave off nosy neighbours. A homeowner daubed 'Watch p*rn, not me' across the roof of their property, but the stunt backfired as tens of thousands flocked to view it on social media. The gorgeous waterside property is located in Lake County, north-eastern Illinois, which boasts natural terrain ranging from sand dunes to prairie. An image of the property was shared by a Facebook user posted a snap of the crude graffiti on to a dedicated group chat with fellow satellite imagery fanatics. As a result, the rude message, painted in white block capitals to starkly contrast the homeowner's black roof, can now be found on Google Images, with the entire world able to see. A Facebook post highlighting the incident has received over 120,000 interactions, with many taking to the social media platform to air their thoughts on the irony. One claimed 'the entire world' is now watching their rural property, and another, appearing to be a Google Maps enthusiast added: 'Near Chicago. Soon it should be a law to have a quote on your roof.' Another commented: 'This poor guy or whoever is probably seeing this and thinking 'well sh*t, that didn't work out.' Another user remarked: 'And then suddenly, the entire world was watching THEM.'
The Star
03-07-2025
- The Star
Three Indians seized in Mali during militant attacks
Three Indian men were seized during a coordinated attack on the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, the main city in Mali. - Google Street View NEW DELHI: Three Indians working in Mali were kidnapped from a cement factory during a spate of militant attacks this week in the troubled west African nation, New Delhi's foreign ministry said. The men were seized Tuesday (July 1) when "a group of armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack at the factory premises" of the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, the main city in Mali's western region, the ministry said in a statement late Wednesday. It said the gunmen "forcibly took three Indian nationals as hostages". It added the Indian embassy in Bamako was in "close and constant communication" with Mali's government, as well as "the family members of the abducted Indian nationals". India did not give details about the attackers, or say if it was in contact with them. However, it said that "many military and government installations at multiple locations of western and central Mali were attacked by terrorists on 01 July 2025". Since 2012, Mali has been battling an Islamist insurgency that erupted in the north, swept the country and spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. The junta-led nation is deeply troubled by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as separatist movements and criminal gangs. - AFP
Metro
01-07-2025
- Metro
Google Maps lets you blur your house - here's why you should do it
Used by over 1,000,000,000 people every month, Google Maps helps tourists, drivers and commuters find their way around. But the navigation tool has one relatively unknown feature which could be crucial for keeping you and your family safe. Google Street View provides panoramic images of streets all around the world, captured by cameras on cars that drive around public roads. Experts are warning that Street View makes it possible for 'anyone from burglars through to stalkers' to peek at someone's property. So some recommend users start blurring their homes on Street View, a service of Google Maps, to reduce their risk of becoming a target. Security expert Will Geddes told Metro that criminals could use Google Maps to scope out properties and form plans to break in. He said: 'Blurring your house prevents anybody from getting any really specific information or intelligence on it. 'This includes what the features are, how many windows, how many floors, and any possible security on the property, such as CCTV cameras.' Another way robbers and thieves use Google Street View is to assess the value of any properties they are thinking of targeting. Geddes explained: 'If you have a photograph of the property, you could make a fairly good accurate assessment for how much that property might be worth. 'Another thing that Google Maps might potentially capture is vehicles, the types of vehicles that are outside. 'It might show that you've got a BMW or a Mercedes or whatever, it might be parked outside.' The security pro says choosing to blur your home would be a 'personal security' step and a 'good thing'. Anyone looking to obscure their home on Street View needs to first find their property on the map. Then they can click 'Report a problem' in the lower right corner. This will bring up a short form that allows users to specify the area they want blurred. More Trending Google says that once a place is blurred, it cannot be reversed. The tech giant says on a support webpage: 'We'll review your report as fast as we can. 'If you entered your email address in the form, we may contact you to get additional information or to update you on the status of your report.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man 'dismembered' couple and froze remains before dumping them off bridge MORE: Parents smoked cigarettes while nurses tried to revive dying baby MORE: Human leg washes up on beach 80 miles from missing man's body
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
You can blur your home on Google Maps: Here's how to do it and why experts say you should
As homeowners invest in high-end locks, alarm systems and surveillance cameras to safeguard their properties, some law enforcement officials say there's one overlooked measure that could help ward off burglars: obscuring their homes on Google Street View. While the feature has existed for years, a growing number of homeowners are now choosing to blur their houses in online map images to reduce digital exposure—a tactic authorities and crime experts suggest could help reduce the risk of becoming a target. Ryan Railsback, a police officer in Riverside, California, said he's seen some residents take this additional step. 'The crooks are looking for new and innovative ways to victimize people,' he told ABC News. 'It's good for the public to be aware of that and counter what the criminals are already doing.' Street View, a service of Google Maps, provides panoramic images captured by camera-equipped vehicles traversing public roads. While it offers convenience for everything from navigating new neighborhoods to browsing real estate, it may also give criminals an easy way to scope out potential targets, experts say. Christopher Herrmann, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told ABC News that 'would-be thieves certainly want to scout their locations before they hit them,' using publicly available imagery to assess potential points of entry, spot visible cameras or alarms, and even identify valuable property visible from the street. For those looking to conceal their home on Street View, Google allows homeowners or tenants to request a permanent blur. Users can access the tool by locating their home on Google Maps, opening the Street View image, and clicking 'Report a problem' in the lower right corner. A short form allows users to specify the area they want blurred. According to Google, once applied, the blur cannot be reversed. 'We'll review your report as fast as we can,' Google states on its site. 'If you entered your email address in the form, we may contact you to get additional information or to update you on the status of your report.' Still, not everyone agrees that the tactic is foolproof. Some warn that having the only blurred home on a block could have unintended consequences, potentially signaling that the residents have something worth hiding.
