Did you know that Russian troops are thrusting into the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia? That's what readers will learn from a Google Maps graphic accompanying a news story about Russian incursions into Georgia — the nation-state in the Caucasus, not the Caucasian-pride-ridden state in the southern United States. Google's mixup will not help Yahoo Answers user Jessica B., who presciently asked, "i herd on the news that rusia has invaded but i dont see them no where wats going on." A screenshot of Google's erroneous invasion map:

In a response to Google's recent assertion that "complete privacy does not exist," the National Legal and Policy Center released a step-by-step guide [PDF] to finding an unnamed "senior executive" from the company. While it doesn't reveal the home address, it does show a number of intersections where one might lie in wait to assault or kidnap said executive. Using Google Search, Maps and Street View, naturally.

"Complete privacy does not exist," says Google. This statement came in response to a lawsuit brought by a Pennsylvania couple that alleged a contractor for the search engine trespassed on private property to snap pictures of their home. Google's lawyers point out the plaintiffs could have used the company's tools to flag the photo, and that "similar photos of their home were already publicly available on the Internet," before sneering, "These ironies aside, Plaintiff's claims have no merit."If you think you can run away to a desert and become a hermit in order to avoid the all-seeing eye of Google, think again — "Today's satellite-image technology means that even in today's desert, complete privacy does not exist." Google should know, since they helpfully provide the public with those very satellite images, like this peek into famed hermit camp Slab City, CA. Meanwhile, across the pond, U.K. residents can expect the same level of intrusion whether they like it or not.

In a post about Google's agricultural-mapping expeditions, commenter skwash suggests that Google's snapping shots of business-free rural roads so it can create its own geographical database, shutting out map providers TeleAtlas and Nokia's Navteq:

If you moved out to the country for a little privacy, you may need to rethink your plans. Google's Street View camera-cars have roved far into the rural reaches of Sonoma County, more than an hour north of San Francisco. It's not clear what commercial purpose the photographs serve. Google's photographs of streetscapes in cities have a plausible commercial motive, showing storefronts to help searchers find local stores, a lucrative advertising market. But showing mile after mile of farmland? WIth this expansion of Street View, Google manages to seem at once creepy and wasteful. (Screenshot via Search Engine Land)

Next year's Macworld may be the last chance to make a shamefaced Starbucks run to the mall-kiosk latte dispenser in the Metreon. Why did the Seattle coffee monoculturist give six months' notice of that coffee-bar's closure, and 599 others? Why, to retrain loyalists on other locations within footsteps. We already know that you drink only at establishments where the coffee pickers are unionized, graduate-degreed, and constantly hugged. And so do we. But here's our map of the remaining South of Market Starbucks — and all the Blue Bottle locations — anyway. Only to show to your sleep-addled board members when they visit for a meeting.

So much for indexing all the world's information: There are at least 51 places you can't see on Google Maps. One of them is the entire country of Bahrain. Allegedly, the Bahrain's Ministry of Information blocked Google Maps from its citizens because it didn't want the local poors to see the private jets and residences of the Gulf statelet's riches. This got us wondering what sights our government has blocked citizens from viewing. We list five, below.

The email-newsletter headline had my business-minded editor all hot and bothered: "Yelp Goes to Google!" But no, this wasn't an oh-so-logical tuck-in acquisition of the local reviews site by the search giant. Instead, it was a sitdown with Marissa Mayer. In the interview, Mayer reveals her usual spreadsheet array of girly affectations: cupcakes! Manolos! highlights! I'm miffed about the highlights, because we have the same stylist, and as Mayer gushes like the best ladymag ingenue, "I hesitate to even say anything because she's so good and I'd hate for it to be harder for me to get an appointment." Still, cute to see her getting cozy with the review website, since if Google did take the plunge and acquire Yelp, it'd be Mayer, VP of Stuff People Actually Use, who'd make the call.

At Steve Jobs's WWDC Keynote, Gizmodo is reporting that Apple has replaced .Mac, its computer-centric set of Web services, with MobileMe, an online suite of email, photos, and file storage. It's designed to keep iPhones, PCs, and Macs in sync — hence the need for a new name. Other than that, little has changed: The service still costs $99 a year — some rumors had it going free — and Apple is still designing the Web software itself, without help from a partner like Google. (Google Maps is now built into Apple's address book, however.) (Photo by Gizmodo)

Watch out, ESPN.com: Google's after your fans. Derrick Eckhardt, a writer at fantasy-sports news site RotoNation, noticed that Google's serving up sports scores to mobile users. Eckhardt's sources tell him that Google has been looking at the sports market for a year, and greenlit a secret project to enter the sports-information business last November. There's no Google Sports portal, and no sign of the effort on Google's regular Web search. Should the likes of ESPN and Yahoo Sports be worried? Google Finance has yet to make a dent in Yahoo Finance. But remember how Google used to point users who typed in street addresses to Yahoo Maps? After Google created its own maps site, the links to Yahoo Maps swiftly disappeared. (Photo by Derrick Eckhardt)

The town of North Oaks, Minnesota told Google Maps to get out of its nice quiet community this January, says the Star-Tribune, and Google removed the whole town from its "Street View" service. The private community, a suburb of St. Paul, is 92% white with an average income of $75,000. Of course, if the poors wanted privacy, they wouldn't get it.

Spotted on Google Maps: a kid pointing a gun at a younger kid. (Okay, it's probably a toy gun.) What is it about Chicago? We've already seen a drug deal on the South Side and a girl flashing the camera in Homewood.

After reports of Google Street View vehicle sightings on the continent, an EU spokesperson reminded Google to respect local privacy laws. "Taking pictures on a street isn't in itself a problem but taking pictures anywhere can be." Maybe Google's advanced horse-recognition technology will mollify concerns? [CIO]

An Illinois girl exposes her breasts to one of those creepy camera-bearing vans that make the "streetview" panoramas for Google Maps.

Google published updated Street View photographs for Manhattan this week. The changes include sharper images, an ability to look upward at the island's skyscrapers and, in an effort to satisfy nervous -nelly privacy advocates, blurred faces. Including one belonging to a publicity-shy relative of Mr. Ed, starring in his latest off-Broadway role.

A former neo-Facist, Gianni Alemanno, is the new mayor of Rome. He got the job promising to bulldoze homeless encampments, deport foreign criminals and install surveillance cameras, all in an effort to be tough of crime. So it isn't surprising to read reports that when Google's black Street View car, with its 360-degree camera mounted on top, came rolling down Viale Trastevere in Rome, citizens on the street immediately fled as though it were a horde of brick-wielding blackshirts chanting Me ne frego!

Google's Street View trucks don't stop for anyone, or anything. The proof? An unsuspecting Cleveland resident is caught in an embarrassing tumble on a bicycle by Google's all-seeing eye. Doesn't seem like the driver bothered to stop and help, which is in keeping with the hyperefficiency demanded by their overlords in Mountain View. In the future, all our fails will belong to Google.

First Google Maps' "streetview" captured a drug deal. Now the accidental Big Brother has found something even funnier: A bike tumble in Australia. From all of us in New York, to whoever you are Down Under: Ha-ha. [via Kensington Victoria]

They haven't filed a lawsuit yet, like their neighbors the Borings, but the McKees' privacy was seemingly violated by a Google Street View car that drove up their driveway, snapping pictures all the way. Janet and George McKee live in the only home on Goldenbrook Lane, a gravel path that leads directly to their driveway — where the property line is. The Google car drove up Goldenbrook and continued all the way up their driveway to the front of the McKee's three-car garage and basketball hoop. Whoops. The Smoking Gun found and contacted the McKees, who said they found the pictures "creepy." Google claims "it takes images from public streets and only shows photos of locations that are in full view". Well, most of the time. See the full collection of images after the jump. Worst position in Google's legal department right now: Google Maps counsel.

This is the view that Aaron and Christine Boring don't want you to see. The couple — who live at 1567 Oakridge Lane, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, USA, according to their court filing — are suing Google over the company's "Street View" feature, which takes road-level pictures of neighborhoods for their mapping service. Among the complaints, the Borings — their actual name — accuse Google of an "intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion" of their privacy. More pics after the jump.