Have you checked out Google Maps Street View? With Street View, you can virtually explore city neighborhoods by viewing and navigating within 360-degree scenes of street-level imagery. It feels as if you’re walking down the street! When it was launched on May 25, 2007, only five cities were included. It has since expanded to more than 40 U.S. cities, and includes the suburbs of many, and in some cases, other nearby cities.

Google maps brought out the voyeur in us all - street view is taking that to a whole new level. The site has inspired hundreds of thousands of “Street View Tourists” who participate in scavenger hunts, “celebrity crib spotting” and post advice on where to spot the vans that take the pictures for it. A man entering an adult video store, his arms tucked behind his back; two women sunbathing in their front garden at Stanford University; a girl bending over the front seat of her van to reveal a black thong. All these and more have been captured by Street View, Google’s most recent addition to its growing mapping application empire. Househunters, too, have been able to explore potential neighbourhoods for local restaurants, supermarkets and schools. Hundreds of Americans have already complained to Google, seeking to have more than just their faces removed.