Google's eye in sky could catch you with pants down

 London: US tech giants Google and Apple are in the race to come up with aerial maps so detailed and precise that they can practically catch you with your pants down, even in your own backyard.

Google says it has already sent planes over cities while Apple has acquired a firm using spy-in-the-sky technology that has been already tested on at least 20 locations, including London.

Apple's cameras are understood to be so powerful they could potentially see into homes through skylights and windows. The technology is similar to that used by intelligence agencies in identifying terrorist targets in Afghanistan, the Daily Mail reports.

Google will use its spy planes to help create 3D maps with much more detail than its satellite-derived Google Earth images. Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, warned that privacy risked being sacrificed in a commercial 'race to the bottom.'

"The next generation of maps is taking us over the garden fence," he warned. "You won't be able to sunbathe in your garden without worrying about an Apple or Google plane buzzing overhead, taking pictures."


Google's eye in sky could catch you with pants down