The angry locals of an English village blocked the driver of a Google Street View car who was
filming the neighborhood, saying they feared he world encourage thieves, a report said Friday.
One local, Paul Jacobs, told the BBC he had warned his neighbors after spotting the car from
his window in Broughton, Buckinghamshire, southern England, on Wednesday.
“I don’t have a problem with Google wanting to promote villages. What I have a problem with
is the invasion （侵犯）of privacy, taking pictures directly into the home,” Jacobs said.
“We’ve already had three homes broken into locally in the past six weeks. If our houses are
made noticeable all over Google, it’s an invitation for more criminals to strike. I was determined to
make a stand, so I called the police.”
After his call, a police car arrived in Broughton in response to an argument between a crowd of people and a Google Street View contractor.
“They felt his presence was a threat to their privacy. When police arrived at the scene, the car had moved on,” explained a spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police.
The Google Street View project, set up last month in Britain, aims to provide detailed 360-degree views online of streets all over Britain.
The project has already been strongly criticized by associations like Privacy International, a pressure group which has launched legal action against the IT company.
Google is confident that their new mapping project is within the law.
“Before launching Street View we sought the guidance and approval of the Information Commissioner’s Office. The ICO has repeatedly made clear that it believes that Street View includes the safeguards necessary to protect people’s privacy,” a Google spokesman said.
“The Metropolitan Police （in London） told us they saw no significant security risk, that thieves are likely to make use of the opportunities, and that mapping products can be useful in solving and mapping crime in an area.”
He added: “Engaged in new projects, we sometimes meet unexpected challenges, and Street View has been no exception.”
41．When the police car arrived at the village,           .
A．the villagers were angrily arguing with the Google car driver.
B．the map car was stopped from leaving the village.
C．The map car had stopped its working and gone on its way.
D．The map car was surrounded by the angry villagers.
42．The underlined phrase “make a stand” in Paragraph 4 means       .
A．stand there all the time whole waiting for the police
B．show full support to Google’s filming the neighborhood
C．attempt to defend locals by stopping Google’s filming the neighborhood
D．stand in the way to stop the car moving on
43．Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A．Google’s mapping project has not been officially approved.
B．Three homes had been visited by thieves with the help of Google pictures.
C．The police rushed to stop a fight between locals and Google contractors.
D．It was not the first time that the Google map project had been criticized.
44．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．Google’s Mapping Project Promotes the Neighobrohood.
B．Angry British Villagers Stop Google Maps Car.
C．Google Goes On With its Plan to Film the Streets.
D．New Project Meets Challenges Again.