IT HAS captured unwitting passers-by in all manner of compromising positions, from unfaithful husbands to half-dressed sunbathers and those who’ve had a little too much to drink.

Now privacy fears have been sparked in Hampshire after Internet giant Google was spotted photographing the county’s streets for its latest invention – a virtual tour of Britain.

A black car bearing the search engine’s famous logo and mounted with a tripod camera on its roof has recently been seen driving through Southampton and Winchester.

Just last Friday, the Daily Echo clocked the odd-looking Vauxhall Astra approaching Andover on the A303.

Google’s controversial new Street View tool allows users to virtually explore and navigate a lane or an entire city through panoramic street-level photographs.

By clicking on arrows on the screen, users will feel like they are walking down Shirley High Street or driving on the M3 and be able to look left, right or behind them.

The photographs are so clear that people can take a peek at front gardens and sometimes even peer through windows.

The images are captured using special cameras that have 11 lenses which rotate and capture a 360-degree view of the street. The photographs are then pieced together and added to the already popular Google Maps.

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Google spokeswoman Laura Scott confirmed their cars were photographing towns and cities across the country, but she would not reveal exact locations.

There are concerns the technology could be an invasion of privacy. Civil liberties campaign group Privacy International has said it could breach data protection laws if people’s faces are shown.

Simon Davis, from the group, said: “In our view they need a person’s consent if they make use of a person’s face for commercial ends.”

However, Ms Scott said the Hampshire images would be months old by the time Street View is launched online in the UK later this year.

She said it would only feature photographs taken on public property and would be no different to what any person can see walking down the street.

Cutting-edge blurring technology will be used to make sure that passers-by or car licence plates in photographs cannot be identified.

Anybody that spots themselves in a shot can also request to have the image removed.

Street View was first launched in the US in 2007 and has since been expanded to cities in South America, Europe and Australia.

“At Google we are aware of the concerns of some people and that is why we have to taken these steps,” Ms Scott said.

“Street View also brings enormous benefits, especially for tourism.

“If you are looking for a hotel and you want to see what the area is like you can go online and take a look.

“Housebuyers can explore neighbourhoods and shoppers find stores. It has been so popular in the US that we actually have businesses begging us to return to their city and take a photograph of their street.”

Privacy and data protection expert Michael Coyle, of Southampton’s Lawdit Solicitors, said it would be difficult to argue Google would be breaching anyone’s privacy.

“By removing the identity of the individuals it decreases the likelihood of Google finding themselves in court,” he said.

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The photo-mapping tool was given the all-clear by the UK’s privacy watchdog last year.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was satisfied with Google’s privacy safeguards.