When people wanted to find their way to a place in the past, they used to have to buy a map. They don't have to do that any more. Now they can either buy a GPS, or go online and find maps for just about anywhere.

Is this an improvement? Perhaps, but some people think some of the online companies are going too far, because they have been sending out cars with photographic equipment on their roofs, to photograph every street and house in the country.

One of these cars arrived on a Wednesday morning in the quiet English village of Broughton. The camera was on a metre-high pole on top of the car and could see over walls and into people's gardens. Some of the villagers came and stood around the car, and asked the driver and photographer to go away. Journalists quickly arrived on the scene, and soon the event was news all over the country.

Of course, the online company in question claims that it is simply collecting information that people on the Internet want. But Broughton residents feel differently. "We used to have privacy in this country. Now companies just come. and take photographs of our homes without even asking," said one resident. "It's not right. We mustn't let this happen. We mustn't lose our right to live privately."

There is, of course, no law to prevent people from taking photographs of houses, so the residents cannot go to court. But many people are asking the question: OK, it's legal, but is it right? This is a question that won't go away very quickly.