You knew it was bound to happen. You just knew it. As cool as Google Street View is, it had to cross the line somewhere. Somewhere appears to be Pittsburgh.

Short story shorter: Couples house appears on Street View. Couple lives on a private road. Couple is angry. Couple claims invasion of privacy. Couple sues Google for a sum greater than $25,000.

Guess what? This aint your mamas privacy anymore.

Since the late 90s, the information available on the internet has exploded beyond what Al Gore and the ARPANET creators could have even imagined. You can look up pretty much anyone or anything, and get your answer. The availability of data is expanding as we move to mobile and wireless connectivity to digital information. Pew Research reported last month that 62% of all American adults have taken advantage of mobile internet connectivity. Information is everywhere, and its accessible from anywhere.

When I do a search for my name on Google, I come up with 768,000 results. Some of those are about me, and some arent. If I wanted to dig a little deeper, I would be able to find where I live, what I do for fun, and how often Ive irritated people in my town with calls for Homeowners Association Fiscal Responsibility. Luckily, theres no Street view of my house, yet, but I know its coming. And, being the digital native that my boss calls me, Ill just have to accept it. The worms are out of the can, my friends. We cant put them back, but we can learn to live with them.

That brings me to my main point. In a connected culture, we have to redefine our own expectations of privacy. Let’s call it Privacy 2.0, just for fun.

Its no longer reasonable to assume that people wont be able to easily find out where you live or what your house is worth. Its not reasonable to assume that if you get loaded at an underage drinking party, pictures of you wont show up on Facebook. Its not reasonable to assume that anything you do outside the 4 walls of your own home wont be captured, recorded, and added to the ever-growing base of human knowledge. Dont expect that your private life is anything near what you used to think of as private. It simply isnt.

So, where does that leave you? Youve got to understand that now, more than ever, you have to accept responsibility for your actions, and make sure that youre acting in a manner that portrays the image you want to portray. Youve also got to be more diligent about your own security and safety. If that means installing a security system or more locks, do it. You must realize that people are going to know more about you than you might want. People will form impressions of you based on what they find on-line, and first impressions always matter.

Back to our friends from Pittsburgh My (personal, non-BSG-Alliance) opinion is that theyre just looking for a quick buck. Their home is pictured, along with drawings of the rooms, on the Allegheny County website. Until they sue the county, I cant really believe its about anything more than money.