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Alex Cabrero reporting Many of us have used Google Earth or Google Maps to look at a satellite image of our homes. Lately, Google has been taking maps to the next level by actually going to every street and taking pictures. Some people think it's amazing technology while others feel it's technology gone too far.
"It's fantastic. Google is one of the most amazing companies I've ever seen in my life," said West Jordan resident Steve Smith. We showed him his home on Google Maps. He liked it. "You can just go in and check practically anywhere in the world," he said.
The program allows you to drive through neighborhoods that have been street-level mapped. The photos are detailed, showing things like a basketball hoop and a white truck.
Those items are interesting to see, but what about open garages, where you can make out what's inside? Or images of people who were outside when the photo was taken?
Blythe Stewart runs a daycare out of her home. She said, "That seems like almost a violation."
She thinks it's too much. Kimberly Zarkin, an ethics communications professor at Westminster College, agrees. "It actually concerns me a great deal," she said.
She says it's not illegal, but that doesn't make it right. "It's that case of just because we can doesn't mean we should," she said.
Pete Ashdown, owner of Internet company XMission, says it's just another step in user-access technology. "It's revolutionized how we get around," he said.
For some that is just fine. Steve Smith said, "There're cameras everywhere these days." For others it's wrong. Blythe Stewart said, "Oh, that's not OK."
