Head on over to streetviewr.com and browse a variety of interesting images of public (and private) life as captured by the Google camera van.

Google has released “Street View” for 5 U.S. metropolitan cities: San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Miami, and New York.

“Street View” gives a Google Maps user the ability to actually walk down a street and turn around virtually in a snapshot of time.

I’ve had several discussion with co-workers and family about the public display of street level photography pertaining to Google’s “Street View” on their maps interface. Most people I’ve talked with do not like the idea at first, especially when you can zoom in, turn around, and look inside someone’s window or car.

My position is relatively benign. I figure the data is out there, via satellite or security cameras, and who knows who else is photographing people on the street…so why not make it publicly available?

If the laws change, then where is the line drawn? Certainly people should still have the right to take pictures and photography in public places.