Street Views?

smstonypoint · Jan 12, 2015

My farmhouse (in NC) is located on a private drive that is about 1000' in length. I share the first 500' or so with a neighbor.

Late last fall, a car with a roof-top camera showed up at my farmhouse while I was working in the yard. The driver informed me that he was working for Bing and that street views of my homestead would show up on the Bing site in three months or so. However, he gave me the info that I would need to contact Bing in order to have the views deleted when they are posted. I plan to have the views deleted.

I suppose that I have been remiss in not posting a "Private Drive" sign, but I am not sure that would have deterred the driver.

I am curious about how others who live on private drives feel about having photos of their homesteads showing up on the Internet.

Steve

joeyd · Jan 12, 2015

We have a gate on our private road that I share with about 10 others, private code so no unwanted "street views" to post on the web. But that doesn't stop the aerial views from showing up. The gate also keeps census workers from bothering us.

KiotiKowboy · Jan 12, 2015

joeyd said:
The gate also keeps census workers from bothering us.

I'll soon be moving and also have that gate ... about 3000' to the house. The aerial view of the site was taken more than 5 years ago. Hopefully, it will update before I build - or not for a long long time.

As for census - the government has the obligation to tabulate its population every 10 years. Unfortunately, it has seen fit to use this process to invade and encroach upon private information that is NONE of its business. I answer "1", then tell them to get the H___ off my property.

tjcarguy · Jan 12, 2015

I saw the google mobile going down our road during the summer. I was walking in the driveway but when the new streetscape came out no me ? however my wife can be seen by the road tending to the flowers . I guess I ruined the picture so they had to go around the block and try again. ---Trevor

dave1949 · Jan 12, 2015

My house shows up very clearly on Google Earth, but that's a top down view. I don't think it really makes much difference in terms of security or privacy for my house.

From the road, people can catch a glimpse of our house in winter, none in summer with leaves on the trees. But, think of all the houses that are close to the road and seen by hundreds everyday--not just one point in time like Bing. I doubt those residents worry about that. I can never comprehend people who purposely build their home next to an Interstate, but it's certainly not rare.

Someone coming up the driveway to photograph your house is not really welcome though.

smstonypoint · Jan 12, 2015

tjcarguy said:
I saw the google mobile going down our road during the summer. I was walking in the driveway but when the new streetscape came out no me ? however my wife can be seen by the road tending to the flowers . I guess I ruined the picture so they had to go around the block and try again. ---Trevor

The Bing driver told me that there was a time lapse between photos -- I want to say 8 seconds, but my memory isn't what it used to be. I talked to him for a few minutes, so I may be featured in the views for my address. This has me concerned, as I am in the witness protection program.

Steve

KiotiKowboy · Jan 12, 2015

smstonypoint said:
This has me concerned, as I am in the witness protection program.

Steve

I wondered where you were hiding. See you soon!

quicksandfarmer · Jan 12, 2015

Google street view shows me up on the roof of the barn nailing shingles, I kind of like that one.

What's annoying is that for a long time Google maps showed my driveway as a road -- and it was the shortest route to the next town! I collect old maps, and in the 1695 map there was a road that crossed my property but by 1870 it was gone. Now it is just forest where the road was. For a while, in the summer I'd get a stream of people coming down my driveway guided by GPS. The worst part is that many of them would argue with me when I told them there was no road, and that in fact they were on my driveway. If they insisted I would let them drive to the end of the driveway and see the forest.

I complained to Google and they've kind of fixed it, they still show my driveway as a road but they no longer show it going through. They label it with the name of a road that comes within a few hundred yards of my property but you have to drive a few miles to get on. Fortunately there's only two houses on that road, but I do get the occasional lost person looking for one of those houses.

What annoys me is I've noticed that there is a subset of humanity who responds to being lost by driving as fast as possible. Pretty much exclusively men. Guys will come down the driveway, and I know they saw on the way in that we have kids, dogs, chickens and livestock everywhere, and on the way out they'll drive like they're fleeing a crime scene. Grr.

Sodo · Jan 12, 2015

quicksandfarmer said:
and on the way out they'll drive like they're fleeing a crime scene. Grr.

I've done that. When you are guilty you are inclined to absquatulate:

<-------- look it up!

a) the quicker you disappear there's less chance you'll upset someone.
b) you're inclined to show that you're trying to make it right, and not dilly-dally.
c) hoping to avoid confrontation

dave1949 · Jan 12, 2015

"What's annoying is that for a long time Google maps showed my driveway as a road ..."

Google maps has a lane on my property labeled as the small private road that's about 100' away. My lane has a gate, so no one drives in there. Once in a great while people will come up the driveway and ask where is XXX lane? There is a sign on that lane but it's buried in the trees to point of being worthless, no one sees it.

As it happens, the lane on my lot is cleared out much wider than the private road. I think the feature, like a lane, and the name of it may be computer proximity matched as it doesn't seem like something a person would mistake.

3930dave · Jan 12, 2015

Just watch out for all the street info being scrambled......... might be Skynet's first move.......

Am I the only one thinking the selfie generation would be puzzled by this thread ?

Please let us know how promptly Bing responds Steve.

Rgds, D.

buckeyefarmer · Jan 12, 2015

I had my picture on streetview once, waving at the camera as they drove down the road. They have now updated to a newer version minus me. They show my private driveway.

tractchores · Jan 12, 2015

I live on a long private drive, which is not labelled as such (long story there). As soon as it crosses onto my property I put a no trespassing sign, which I'm told is obeyed by Google / Bing / etc specifically for the purpose of keeping those vehicles out. I don't really want photos of what I have in my yard on the internet... (no I don't have anything that exciting).

We now have a gate, which does a better job with random people (though believe it or not some people will walk in the woods around it!!). For satellite photos we have lots of trees. Weirdly I found myself on one satellite photo in my boat on a very remote lake (just good timing I guess).

I have issues with Google as well. In my area they show "lot lines", which are wrong and show conservation land that is next to me on my land. Some of my neighbors take Google very seriously and have made a short cut across my land and a trail because they believe it's "town owned"... can't wait until that one is fixed.

sixdogs · Jan 12, 2015

Can I "post" my 300 ft private drive?

tractchores · Jan 12, 2015

sixdogs said:
Can I "post" my 300 ft private drive?

If you own it all. If its owned in common with others then you have to agree with them (that's why mine isn't posted)

MossRoad · Jan 12, 2015

smstonypoint said:
... This has me concerned, as I am in the witness protection program.

Steve

I thought you were in California?

sixdogs · Jan 12, 2015

tractchores said:
If you own it all. If its owned in common with others then you have to agree with them (that's why mine isn't posted)

It's really more of a drive. Will posting keep the vermin out?

MossRoad · Jan 12, 2015

smstonypoint said:
My farmhouse (in NC) is located on a private drive that is about 1000' in length. I share the first 500' or so with a neighbor.

Late last fall, a car with a roof-top camera showed up at my farmhouse while I was working in the yard. The driver informed me that he was working for Bing and that street views of my homestead would show up on the Bing site in three months or so. However, he gave me the info that I would need to contact Bing in order to have the views deleted when they are posted. I plan to have the views deleted.

I suppose that I have been remiss in not posting a "Private Drive" sign, but I am not sure that would have deterred the driver.

I am curious about how others who live on private drives feel about having photos of their homesteads showing up on the Internet.

Steve

If they can see if from the street they have a right to take a picture of it. If they can't tell its a private road, you can expect them to drive on down. If its clearly marked as a private road, I would consider it an invasion of privacy, but I wonder how it would come out in court. Best to have a gate, I suppose.

tractchores · Jan 12, 2015

sixdogs said:
It's really more of a drive. Will posting keep the vermin out?

According to a policy I read somewhere (was awhile ago, can't recall where - might have been an article) they don't go down driveways that say 'no trespassing', do it'll keep them out. Probably won't keep out all the other random people that want to convert you or sell you something though. I've certainly said "can't you read?" more than a few times to pushy salesmen who just ignore the signs.

RedNeckGeek · Jan 13, 2015

My quarter mile driveway also ends with a gate. Keeps nosy people at arm's length.

Not so much luck with the satellite pictures. The previous version showed me on my tractor, busily using the back hoe to break into a septic line (oops). I'm happy that has been updated, but the new picture shows the muddy ruts my thoughtful neighbor left in my pasture when he drove his car off his driveway one rainy Easter morning. When I asked him why he didn't just use his own tractor to pull it back onto the road, he replied that he was late for church. Real Christian of him.