Google Street View is a function within Google Maps and Google Earth. Both services provide satellite images of selected areas, but they can only be zoomed in to limited degree. Google Street View enhances the services by allowing users to zoom in to ground-level, which will display a 360-degree image of a selected street.

Google's Street View project has sparked complaints of invasion of privacy from critics around the world. In April 2009, a group of residents in a British suburb intercepted a Google car that was mapping their neighborhood.CNN: Group of Villagers Chase Away Google Car (April 3, 2009)

Google Street View images are captured car equipped with a special camera.Tampa Bay Online: View Leaves You Google-Eyed (March 28, 2008) Since photos are taken during normal daytime hours, the Street View images often contain people who are unaware that they are being photographed. Images with particularly interesting activity in them are often referred to as Google Street View Sightings. After an April 2009 incident in Britain, where a group of people in a suburb stopped a Google car from photographing their homes, a spokesperson for Google said, "We know that some people are uncomfortable with images of their houses or cars being included in the product, which is why we provide an easy way to request removal of imagery."CNN: Group of Villagers Chase Away Google Car (April 3, 2009)

In January 2009, Google Street View photographs were released which blatantly revealed a dead deer in the path of the Street view photography cars. In a earlier photo, the deer was seen to be clearly alive and walking across the street. The photo sequence led viewers to the conclusion that the Google Street View car had ran the deer down and then consequently photographing the incident.