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Eagle-eyed wedding photographer Iain Fairweather spotted the “Google car”, complete with a mounted aerial camera, in the seaside town with the company admitting Nairn will feature in its controversial street map “Street View”.
The popular internet search engine came under attack for allegedly breaching the privacy of residents in America last year after it launched Street View, which lets web users look at a ground level view of streets in cities and towns.
Google claimed it would help house buyers wanting to check a specific area and tourists looking to get an idea of a place they want to visit, but was criticised for including pictures of people urinating in public, sunbathing and being arrested by police.
The UK version of the map will be launched in several months time, after privacy watchdog the Information Commissioners Office approved its go-ahead last month when Google confirmed it would use technology to blur the identities of people and vehicles.
The company’s car was seen by Mr Fairweather, of Roseneath Terrace, who said it had been in the Fishertown area. “There has been a fair amount of interest in this,” he said.
“It was a 360 degree camera on top of the car which gives you an integrated view and the driver was travelling at around 5mph.
“It is intriguing to know why they choose Nairn and I should think it is the furthest north they have come.”
A Google spokeswoman insisted it would not infringe on the privacy of Nairn residents and confirmed it was one of a number of towns and cities currently being photographed.
“We are very excited about it. It will be a great tool for tourism, driving directions and house hunting,” she said.
“The name is Street View — we are not interested in the people on the street and will use technology to blur faces and registration plates.
“If people object to their houses being featured they can have them removed. It is not real time and when Street View is launched the images will be months old.”
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The Google camera car at work in Nairn.
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