Next time you go to pick your nose in public, think again. Not only is this a habit you probably should have dropped back in Grade 4, but there is a chance you could be exposing your nose-picking self to people the world over. 

Last week, Google announced the launch of Google Maps Street View - a feature on a free service that enables users to call up photos taken on the streets which can then be panned 360 degrees, zoomed in and out and tilted up and down.

Basically, with this technology anyone in the world with an internet connection can now check out photos of people caught in slightly embarassing situations. For example - a woman exposing her g-string, a man entering an adult bookshop, a gentleman relieving himslef in public. It’s all there for you to see on your PC.

Apparently the technology used for Street View creates a bottom-up perspective allowing users to make out faces of the passers-by on the street, as well as pan around and see people in their gardens, verandas or balconies and in some cases inside their homes. How this actually works is way beyond my limited understanding of computer technology. But I imagine the ramifications for such privacy inhibiting technology could become a major headache for Google somewhere down the track

Some of the oddities spotted have been:

- A possible drug transaction in progress.
- A person trying to scale a locked gate in what could be a break-in - or a case of a lost key.
- A man in the act of picking his nose while walking on the pavement.
- Two bikini-clad women sunbaking on the lawns of Stanford University.

The feature is currently only available in areas of San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and Denver, but Google expects to broaden the scope in the near future, including an eventual roll out in Australia.

In a statement released by Google, the company said it takes the issue of privacy "very seriously". "Prior to launching Street View, we reached out to several privacy and public service organisations to discuss the new feature and solicit feedback," the statement said.

The company lists objectionable imagery as: "nudity, certain types of locations (for example, domestic violence shelters) and clearly identifiable individuals, if those individuals request takedown".
To date, Google said it had received "very few such reports".

I suppose in terms of technological advancements, this is all very impressive, but what’s the point? Surely we have enough opportunities to watch nuffies embracing public humilation on reality TV. Do we really need to start waiting for unsuspecting souls to trip-up in public view then broadcast their misfortunes? Are we that bored with our own lives? Maybe we are. 

Watch how it all works below.