back to article Brit celebs' homes VANISH from Google's Street View

Google is scrubbing out the homes of Blighty's rich and famous from its nosey Street View site. It has been reported that the likes of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Beatle Paul McCartney and Led Zeppelin axeman Jimmy Page have had their houses blurred on the mapping service. Popstar Lily Allen and former RBS …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Of course ...

    what happens to any screenshots taken *before* Google blurballed them ?

    1. JetSetJim
      Facepalm

      Re: Of course ...

      Or even the ones posted on Daily Mail articles noting his extreme wealth:

      http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/16/article-2204154-04A4B75D0000044D-242_468x402.jpg

      (from here)

  2. Rob

    The next step...

    ... is too blur Blair entirely, anything that takes him out of circulation is good in my book.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The next step...

      I suggest you sharpen him instead, he was a very blurry character to start with :-)

      1. Ben Bonsall

        Re: The next step...

        lol, I just had the highly amusing mental image of helplessly kicking legs as he was fed into a giant pencil sharpener...

        1. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

          Re: The next step...

          "Pencil sharpener", I smiled.

          Damn, that's me on another list...

    2. Ralph B

      Re: The next step...

      Maybe the house hasn't been blurred by Google at all. Maybe it's just the crowds of ghosts of Iraqi children floating outside the house that gives that impression. I think they should probably try driving the Street View car by another time when Blair is not at home to be sure.

      1. Fungus Bob

        Re: The next step...

        "Maybe the house hasn't been blurred by Google at all..."

        It is entirely possible that these are accurate, high-res images of houses blurred by mind-bogglingly dense clouds of marijuana smoke

  3. Pen-y-gors

    But, but, but...

    unless the mansion has a large sign outside saying "Tony Bliar Lives here" what is the point of blurring it? How would real people using streetview have any idea who lives in a particular mansion (unless someone had kindly spray-painted "Alleged war criminal lives here" on the wall).

    Blurring number-plates and faces is reasonable - it's individually identifiable info, but a house?

    Is this the start of a nice new website - "blurryhouses.com" that has photos of all the blurred houses on Streetview, plus a nice searchable index of who lives there? Much more of a problem to the 'celebs' than just being buried anonymously in Streetview. Streisand effect?

    1. AMBxx Silver badge

      Re: But, but, but...

      I've had my house removed - gives me the creeps. If you want to publicise the make and location of your burglar alarm, go ahead.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: But, but, but...

        If you want to publicise the make and location of your burglar alarm, go ahead.

        I trust you kicked off and insisted on a refund from the company who fitted it then? Utter lunacy on their part putting that metal box high up on the front wall with a logo on it!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: But, but, but...

          The whole point of installing an alarm system is that outsiders are aware that you have one, because you want to prevent anyone breaking in and instead choose an easier target. Say, one house that does not have a plaque visibly proclaiming that the place has an alarm system?

          In fact, I don't have hard data to back it up, but I seriously feel that you can install the alarm plaque alone and get 98% of the benefits of having the full alarm system at a fraction of the price. You have either to be a very idiot burglar or target a really high value house to risk attempting a break in whenever an alarm *could* be installed.

          Of course if that becomes fashionable, every house will have an alarm plaque, installed alarm or not, and then (a) the effectivity of having an alarm system will be greatly reduced because it will only help to prevent robbery, but not the break in damage and (b) alarm makers will create some other kind of way of advertising that a place is protected, which in turn will be copied and so on...

          Don't think alarm makers are thrilled with that line of thinking, however.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: But, but, but...

        That is one of the most ridiculous reasons for blurring your house I have heard. I could understand an open garage door (which normally remains closed) showing off a nice shiny bit of equipment or expensive motorbike, for instance, but any burglar can already see the alarm from the street, surely?

        If it was considered a risk why not just spray over the logo or cover it up?

        Almost every security device (locks, alarms etc) advertise who the manufacturer is to try to deter thieves...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: But, but, but...

          That is one of the most ridiculous reasons for blurring your house I have heard. I could understand an open garage door (which normally remains closed) showing off a nice shiny bit of equipment or expensive motorbike, for instance, but any burglar can already see the alarm from the street, surely?

          The ability to assess the risks of breaking into a house beforehand instead of having to take a look locally minimises the risk of being spotted casing the place or appearing on local CCTV beforehand. Such blurring should be mandatory.

          1. Nuke
            Holmes

            @AC - Re: But, but, but...

            Wrote :- "The ability to assess the risks of breaking into a house beforehand instead of having to take a look locally ....... Such blurring should be mandatory."

            I am not sure this isn't an attempt at humour. The Google street view is equivalent to a glance, nothing that cannot be done by someone walking past with a phone camera for example. Practically everyone who walks past a house these days is waving a phone around anyway.

          2. Lamont Cranston
            WTF?

            Re: But, but, but...

            People walk past my house all the time, so I've bricked up all the windows. Next week, I'm having an opaque, perspex dome installed to cover everything. You can't be too careful!

      3. Nuke
        WTF?

        @AMBxx - Re: But, but, but...

        Wrote :- "If you want to publicise the make and location of your burglar alarm, go ahead."

        You have already publicised it by ... er ... making it visible to every member of the public passing by.

    2. Fink-Nottle

      Re: But, but, but...

      > a large sign outside saying "Tony Bliar Lives here"

      Tony Blair lives in one of a row of homes with identical frontages in Connaught Square. Blurring his particular house just makes it more conspicuous.

      1. AbelSoul

        Re: But, but, but...

        Tony Blair lives in one of a row of homes with identical frontages in Connaught Square. Blurring his particular house just makes it more conspicuous.

        That it does. I just looked up Connaught Square and the Blair house is now sore thumb material

      2. You have not yet created a handle
        FAIL

        Re: But, but, but...

        Nope.. still none the wiser.

        Are you telling me that one of these houses is Tony Blairs?

        https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.514108,-0.164101,3a,75y,321.39h,89.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1skhtQfxZBDilvPVxXIxUJjg!2e0

        1. DuncanL

          Re: But, but, but...

          That's a brilliant demonstration of the Streisand Effect in effect!

        2. MJI Silver badge

          Re: But, but, but...

          So we now know whose letter box to shit in

        3. Chris_B

          Re: But, but, but...

          @ You have not yet created a handle

          The best bit is if you use Google's new service of looking at older Street View pics then Tony's house isn't blurred.

          Own Goal ?

        4. VinceH

          Re: But, but, but...

          "Are you telling me that one of these houses is Tony Blairs?

          https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.514108,-0.164101,3a,75y,321.39h,89.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1skhtQfxZBDilvPVxXIxUJjg!2e0"

          Now, if only there was a way to work out exactly which house it is. Hmm... :/

        5. Ralph B

          Re: But, but, but...

          He can keep his blurry house, but I'm very interested in having the BMW 7-Series that transforms into a Ferrari 599 GTB as the StreetView car goes by.

          1. Tim Jenkins

            Re: But, but, but...

            Ooooh; I see what you mean. So the headline should really be 'Google Streetview Reveals Top-Secret Ferrari Cloaking Technology'. Cool.

        6. Anonymous IV

          Re: But, but, but...

          @ You have not yet created a handle

          I think Tony Blair's house is the one with the precisely-formed tornado on the pavement outside. It enables all his words to be taken up to heaven, to be judged...

        7. Nuke
          Thumb Up

          @You have not yet created a handle - Re: But, but, but...

          Wrote :- "Are you telling me that one of these houses is Tony Blairs?

          That is really funny. Just goes to show how f#@king ridiculous it is. My opinion of Blair goes down even further now.

        8. Blitterbug
          Facepalm

          Re: But, but, but...

          Fascinating. Anyone noticed that doing a 'driveby' unblurs it? Should I be so minded I could film my monitor, then frame step through the results.

        9. Ian Moffatt 1

          Re: But, but, but...

          Could that also explain the double yellow lines both sides of the road across the frontage of this house and not the others in the street?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Ian Moffatt - Re: But, but, but...

            Wrote :- "Could that also explain the double yellow lines both sides of the road across the frontage of this house and not the others in the street?"

            I noticed that too. There seems be no other reason for it other than allowing his limo to pull in to pick him up, and making anyone else who pulls up look suspect.

            Mind you, it must piss off the neighbours for one house on each side because they are left with nowhere to park.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: But, but, but...

      It's got partly to do with the fact that Google's *cough* respect for your privacy included making it possible to zoom in to windows of premises.

      In general:

      "Your privacy and security are important to us," the ad giant claims in its Ts&Cs.

      "The Google Maps team takes a number of steps to help protect the privacy and anonymity of individuals when images are collected for Street View, including blurring faces and license plates.

      Sure, that's why they mounted the cameras on stalks so they could look over fences that were perfectly fine for normal privacy purposes, something that strangely/sadly only got them into trouble in Japan.

    4. JeffA

      Re: But, but, but...

      A new tool for burglars - find blurred out house and assume the owner is trying to hide something.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Remember.....

    "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it." - http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Gilmore

    How long before a new crowdsourced website crops up to show what all the blurred properties look like - FROM A PUBLIC ROAD ?

    Some people just don't seem to get it. Yet more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect in action.

    1. Tim Jenkins

      Re: Remember.....

      Wouldn't fancy standing opposite the blurry one in Connaught Square with a camera for too long; probably asking for an invitation to discuss the finer points of the rights of the citizen in a democracy, while undergoing a cavity search...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Remember.....

        Wouldn't fancy standing opposite the blurry one in Connaught Square with a camera for too long; probably asking for an invitation to discuss the finer points of the rights of the citizen in a democracy, while undergoing a cavity search...

        AFAIK there is no legal basis to prevent you from making pictures there, but you're right, they could make up some BS story. My problem with doing that myself is that I am of the opinion that everyone is entitled to personal privacy, and as it's his home I would go against my own ethics to make pictures there. This is the conflict between seriously not liking this guy but having to stand up for principles I believe in.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I guess people will have to go back to visiting the places in person to see where the celebs live rather than sitting at home in their pants on the internet. I bet the celebs love that they will now be meeting more fans who just want to see where they live in person.

    Extra points for getting a picture of their house uploaded to your site indexed so that it shows up when people search for "<celeb name> street view".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      rather than sitting at home in their pants on the internet

      Damn, I've been found out. Are you spying on me?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My house has been blurred

    ... by some sort of green stuff. Can't see anything.

    When will Google start using IR/UV/RADAR and fix this problem?

  7. jellypappa
    Pirate

    me thinks its time for a jolly jap

    lets all ask google to blur our houses as well,

    1. Robin

      Re: me thinks its time for a jolly jap

      "me thinks its time for a jolly jap"

      You daft racist.

      1. h4rm0ny

        Re: me thinks its time for a jolly jap

        I THINK they just typoed "jape", as in a prank or joke.

        But while I'm posting, I might as well just add that I despise Blair and the scum should be on trial for war trials for the number of British soldiers who are dead because of him. Iraqi civilians too though the US would have gone to war without us.

        1. Alex Rose
          Happy

          Re: me thinks its time for a jolly jap

          Woooosh!

      2. jellypappa
        Pirate

        Re: me thinks its time for a jolly jap

        eeerrr sorry for the typo, should have been " jape "

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: me thinks its time for a jolly jap

          > eeerrr sorry for the typo

          Phew, I was beginning to think Prince Philip was an ElReg commentard.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Denial of Blurring Attack

    On fairness grounds I suggest that the UK population massively raises to the occasion and that each and every one of us formally asks google to blur our respective houses, lairs and sheds ! Why should it be only the fat cats and media stars? Discrimination I say !!!!

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: Denial of Blurring Attack

      I had my house blurred some years ago. The StreetView picture was taken just prior to quite a lot of work being done on the house, and it didn't look good at a time I was getting ready to sell it. It isn't restricted to any stratum in society.

      (I have just spotted that the copyright date on the StreetView image is now after the work was done, so I suppose I could have the blurring removed if I could be bothered ...)

  9. Velv
    FAIL

    Nothing like obscuring something to peak peoples curiosity...

    "oooooo, what's that bit of property I'm not allowed to look at online, lets drive by next time we're out in the car"

  10. RyokuMas
    FAIL

    ""Your privacy and security are important to us," the ad giant claims in its Ts&Cs."

    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

  11. twilkins

    Welcome to the two tier internet!

    Privacy available for everyone, who can afford to pay for it.

    1. NightFox

      Agree totally. Oh no, hold on, apart from the fact that anyone can ask Google to do this for them, at no charge. Apart from that you're spot on though. Yeah, bastards!

    2. Robin

      "Privacy available for everyone, who can afford to pay for it."

      Or just about anyone who can be bothered:

      http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/privacy/

      1. Locate the image in Street View.

      2. Click "Report a problem" in the bottom-right of the image window.

      3. Complete the form and click "Submit".

      I realise we're supposed to be anti-Google round here, but it does seem pretty straightforward.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    C'mon El Reg, link?

    What's the URL to have your abode blurred? Or is this only a service allowed to the ruling elite?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: C'mon El Reg, link?

      See, this is why the Ruling Elite get into the Ruling Elite. They do stuff, rather than demanding a free service provider waste their time pointing you to the 'report a problem' button that's clearly viaible on Maps and Earth...

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's on Bing

    If you really need to see Blair's unblurred blurry terrace (sorry this is London, I mean "mews"*) it's still on Bing maps's street view, so basically all this amounted to is causing a Streissand effect.

    * A mews used to be a stable conversion, but in my experience estate agents like to use this term for terrace housing in up and coming areas.

    1. Anonymous IV
      Joke

      Re: It's on Bing

      Surely a mews is where a herd of cats lives?

      1. Pedigree-Pete
        Happy

        Re: It's on Bing

        Never seen a herd of cats, doubtful they would deign to congregate.

        Collective nouns

        http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-is-the-collective-term-for-a-group-of-cats

        1. Anonymous IV

          Re: It's on Bing

          @Pedigree-Pete

          Well done! You appreciated my very amusing collective noun joke!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's on Bing

      A mews is where birds of prey were kept. So the Blair house site might once have held falcons, but now it still has the same function, it just holds vultures.

      1. Nuke
        Headmaster

        Re: It's on Bing

        AC wrote :- ""Blair's unblurred blurry terrace (sorry this is London, I mean "mews"*)"

        Arnaut the less wrote :- "A mews is where birds of prey were kept.

        Blair's terrace is not a mews, nor are mews necessarily where birds of prey were kept. A mews (in London at least) is the back alley behind a terrace of town houses where in the 1700-1800s you would find the sheds, stables, coach-houses, accommodation for lower servants and shit-houses that belonged to the houses, at the end of their back yards (and maybe also kennels and birds-of-prey cages, but unlikely in the middle of London).

        If you look at the map/satellite view of Blair's house in Connaught Square you will see in fact that there is an "Archery Close" which was obviously once the mews serving his terrace.

        Particularly after WWI, many of these mews buildings were converted to (or replaced by) what politicians would now call "affordable housing". It became fashionable for younger people to live there, and they became "vibrant" places. So from being shit-holes, mews became trendy places to live, so much so, that even new housing in towns often gets called "mews" by the marketing people.

    3. MrRtd

      Re: It's on Bing

      Damn Bing maps street view requires the Silverlight plugin. Thanks but no thanks.

  14. Jason 41

    I never gave a thought to where Tony Blair might live, or indeed a second thought to Tony Blair at all

    A small search and I found much clearer pictures all over the interwebs. Now I know the address and how many armed police stand outside his door (always a bit of a give away perhaps?)

    @You have not yet created a handle - thanks for that link, made me laugh :-)

    1. Martin-73 Silver badge

      Is he paying for the danged armed police (I thought carrying an offensive weapon in public was a crime anyway, guess it's one law for us... again)

      1. Don Dumb
        Facepalm

        He *was* Prime Minister

        @Martin-73 -

        Is he paying for the danged armed police (I thought carrying an offensive weapon in public was a crime anyway, guess it's one law for us... again)
        They are Special Branch, the bit of the UK Police Force that guard all of the sitting, and former, Prime Ministers and they naturally have many armed officers. You do realise that it is legal for the police to have armed officers in public?

        It's not that difficult to work out, US Presidents also keep their Secret Service detail after leaving office. I believe John Major once commented that it is quite strange that since he started being Prime Minister he has never really been on his own and never will be.

        1. MJI Silver badge

          Re: He *was* Prime Minister

          But I think that Blair needs them more than Major, or more than Cameron would ever need.

          I do not feel the urge to smash in John Majors face. To be honest if I bumped into him I would probably chat.

          Brown would get awkward question "Why did you sell the gold?"

          Cameron "Hello Dave, can we have some nuclear power stations please?"

          Clegg "Hello Nick, just remember being anti ID cards got you votes."

          Milliband "Where's David?"

          1. h4rm0ny
            Thumb Up

            Re: He *was* Prime Minister

            100% agree with you on all of those. It's rather spooky! Mind if I save your list just in case I bump into one of them? :)

            1. MJI Silver badge

              Re: He *was* Prime Minister h4rm0ny

              You are welcome

              And what would we ask John Major?

              About peas?

              About Edwina?

              Did he ever consider taking a stake and hammer into Blairs office?

        2. Dave Perry

          Re: He *was* Prime Minister

          He probably needs more than the average ex PM because of partly his fame, partly stupidity of his actions. Yet somehow he seems to come out with a clean nose, and earns a ludicrous amount of money.

          1. MJI Silver badge

            Re: He *was* Prime Minister (Dave Perry)

            More than any I expect. Cannot see Call me Dave needing that many, nor even wrong Milliband if he got the job.

      2. MJI Silver badge

        Offencive weapon?

        Cherie Blair?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Offencive weapon?

          Whatever Constable Savage says, being is possession of an offensive wife is not a crime.

          Unfortunately.

      3. Dr Dan Holdsworth

        You know, I think I see a potential market here; waxwork dummy security men to put outside your doorway, as a mark of status. Hell, were I living in proximity to Tony, I'd hire a couple of Star Wars stormtroopers to stand in front of my door, just to upstage him!

  15. Michael C.

    Devil's advocate

    The photo of my house was taken was before I moved in, can I still blur it? What if the next owner wants it unblurred, can they unblur it? What if I'm renting, do I need to get the landlord to request it to be blurred, or is it my right as the tenant?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Devil's advocate

      The photo of my house was taken was before I moved in, can I still blur it? What if the next owner wants it unblurred, can they unblur it?

      I'm sharing my house with someone else who doesn't want it blurred, can you make it an on/off animated GIF? Google is missing a massive market here: let people supply their own replacement image for a fee.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Good work

    Now can they erase his and his wifes faces from the internet as well?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Good work

      Now can they erase his and his wifes faces from the internet as well?

      Hmm, no, I think we should keep some of them :)

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Double yellows

    Interesting that he also has double yellows (no parking) outside his house and on the opposite side of the street. Judging by the marks on the road the parking bays have been removed and replaced by the yellows.

    How does one go about that? I would love to stop my neighbours and others from parking outside my house. Can one request this from the council, and does one have to pay them the equivalent in lost parking charges?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: Double yellows

      > How does one go about that?

      I believe this is exactly the kind of petty abuse of power that becoming a local councillor was designed for.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Block of flats

    Six floors up, third flat from the left - can you please blur that?

    Join in with your chums and make blurry messages. Probably Anglo-Saxon.

  19. hamiltoneuk

    Jimmy Page's interesting house in Kensington next to where the late Michael Winner lived (anybody remember the amusing Stella Street show on telly?) is clearly visible at a discrete distance on streetview. However streetview does whizz us past the front now. Lovely house. Maybe when it changes hands we will be able take a closer look again.

  20. Steven Davison

    AMBxx

    The bell box on the wall is not your alarm system... it's just the noisy thing on the outside. the system lives INSIDE the house... where it's harder to be tampered with.... *sigh*

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Must be nice...

    For those who can afford it.. i.e. The cost of hiring a privacy lawyer to get google to do this... Because I'm sceptical of their response and T&C promises! Anyone want to tell us how they got their house off the Evil registry, and how long it took?

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blair

    Since his own actions are the reason he needs it, he should pay for his own protection. Or the US should. Or the Israelis and the Saudis, since he gets paid for his role as "Middle East Peace Ambassador", and that's another reason he needs it.

    If they ever make a television series based on the life of the Blairs, they'll have to call it "Shameless".

  23. theblackhand

    WMD?

    This type of secrecy makes me suspect that Mr Blair is hiding WMD's.

    I think we should send in a UN team and if Mr Blair fails to comply, get the UN Security Council to vote on action.

    Tempting though it is to recommend a tactical strike, I think freezing all assets should be enough to make him squeal....

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blair Lives In A Blur

    Do they just blur the house or do they include the rock he actually lives under in the garden?

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "alltogether now!"

    let's ask google to blurr all! What funt it would be to see all this tarmac!

    ...

    oh, it only applies to those with a 6-figure+ bank account? Well, down with the 6-figure+ bank accounts! ;)

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Mushroom

    Tony Blair's home?

    I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Optional

    I will now amuse myself wondering how much Liam or Noel Gallagher would scowl at the indignity of having their houses BLURred.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    « The likes of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair »

    I thought you'd said "celebrities".

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blimey!

    What a knob head!

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    Rightmove

    House prices in blurred areas are 40% higher than those in (shudder) focused areas.

    That is why you will hear the phrase "funds focused on the poor."

    Obviously I and all my of my colleagues live in fully pixelated estate.

  31. MikeOxlong

    Right to be forgotten. Absolutely.

    This should be an on/off switch. Not a partial selection of a persons information.

    If you want to be forgotten by google, then that is completely.

    Google should scrub all information and indexes it has on that persons name and information until they are deceased, at which time all the indexes can be added back.

    So, a google search for that persons name produces 0 results.

    Their address, 0 results.

    Current news events with involvement of that person 0 results.

    Images of that person 0 results.

    Images of that persons house, property, family, 0 results.

    If you want full disclosure, use a different search engine, or from a different country location without index censorship.

    1. Steven Roper

      Re: Right to be forgotten. Absolutely.

      What if you have a common name, like mine? There are over 240 people called "Steven Roper" in Australia alone (I was part of a survey some years back), any and all of whom could come up in a Google search of the name. I was surprised to learn a while ago that there's even a well-known American comic-book character with my name (Intrepid reporter Steve Roper and his sidekick Chief Wahoo) which will quickly dominate any search for it.

      Which I'm actually quite glad about, since it makes it very hard for anyone to positively identify any search result with me personally, and gives me a nice level of plausible deniability should anyone decide to go digging up some dirt!

      But in regard to this business of de-indexing my name, how would I tell Google which results relate to me, which to the well known doctor in America with my name, and which to the even better-known comic strip character? Do I have to supply every URL that contains the information I want removed? And if so, wouldn't I then be giving Google a list of everything I specifically want to hide?

      Seems to me to be better if you just keep your mouth shut and ignore any detrimental references to your name on the internet. It seems better to keep the plausible deniability than to demand some dirt's removal and inextricably link yourself to it in some watchlist somewhere...

  32. ForthIsNotDead
    Facepalm

    Hilarious!

    I just looked at Connaught Square in London on Google Maps... Hmmm.... I wonder which one is our Tony's?

    http://goo.gl/maps/9B63I

    LOL!

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