Officials Use Google Earth To Find Unlicensed Pools 650
Officials in Riverhead, New York are using Google Earth to root out the owners of unlicensed pools. So far they've found 250 illegal pools and collected $75,000 in fines and fees. Of course not everyone thinks that a city should be spending time looking at aerial pictures of backyards. from the article: "Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC, said Google Earth was promoted as an aid to curious travelers but has become a tool for cash-hungry local governments. 'The technology is going so far ahead of what people think is possible, and there is too little discussion about community norms,' she said."
Re:TOS? (Score:5, Funny)
busy filling out the paperwork to get your (already built) pool approved by the city council?
I gots an idea (Score:3, Funny)
Pool covers... that look like grass!
Someone make them now, they'll sell like hot cakes. Also pool canopies that look like lawn from above too.
Re:They collected $75,000... (Score:4, Funny)
Without mandatory permitting processes homeowners would maintain this documentation or else they'd be forced to sell their home at a discount.
Re:They collected $75,000... (Score:3, Funny)
In other news (Score:3, Funny)
In other news the sales of swimming pool sized military style camouflage meshes [alibaba.com] is up in the New York area...
Time for citizen disinformation campaign... (Score:2, Funny)