Privacy activists and individuals have accused Google of deceiving the public by breaking its promises only to photograph public roads for its Street View mapping tool and to promptly remove images flagged as inappropriate.
Street View, which contains detailed street-level photographs of much of Australia, has taken the country by storm since it was unveiled on Tuesday.
Some see it as a great way to explore the country from the comfort of an armchair but others have dismissed it as a gross invasion of privacy, since Australians were not given the choice of whether their houses were to appear on the site.
To quell privacy fears before Street View's launch, Google said it would blur number plates and faces and instruct its drivers only to photograph public roads.
Despite this, a number of private roads and unblurred faces and number plates appeared on the Google Maps feature.
Google has already removed some, including three roads in Coffs Harbour that were clearly marked "no trespassing".
The Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, said her office continued to monitor Street View and would be meeting Google representatives shortly to discuss these concerns.
A form inside the "Street View Help" page allows people to report images they see as inappropriate or invasive, but privacy activists say the form is not visible enough.
Dan Svantesson, co-chairman of the Australian Privacy Foundation's internet subcommittee and a law professor at Bond University, said a number of people had contacted him to complain that Google was taking far too long to fulfil requests to remove images.
He said the company's failure to act speedily to remove images could open Google up to lawsuits.
A US couple, Aaron and Christine Boring, are suing Google for invasion of privacy because photos of their home, located on a private road, appeared on Street View.
"Some people have reported images more than 30 hours ago and the images are still there," Svantesson said.
"This is completely unacceptable and Google must address these flaws immediately. The longer an inappropriate image is available, the more likely it is being downloaded and thereby taken out of Google's control."
A man living on a private road on Sydney's northern beaches, who did not want to be named, said he waited two days for Google to remove images of his house but did not get a response.
"They've taken it off now but it took two days of repeated requests and I only managed to get it taken off because I guessed [Google spokesman] Rob Shilkin's email address ... so I got in direct contact with him," he said.
"A street sign, which they [Google's camera-equipped cars] drove straight past at the top of the road, says 'private road' and then 'caution wildlife' - they blurred out the words 'private road'."
Google said the blurring of the sign was a false positive stemming from its automated blurring process.
He said his solicitor advised that a civil lawsuit against Google would be difficult, drawn out and expensive, but a class action suit was potentially viable.
The man rejected Google's claims that Street View was a useful tool for home seekers, saying any renovations or changes made to properties after Google took the photos would not appear on the site.
"It should be up to you how you want to portray your house or your property," he said.
Queenslander Stephen Cook said he also asked Google to remove images of his house from Street View on Tuesday morning and they were still on the site today even after he phoned Shilkin.
"Probably 90 per cent of Australians don't even know their homes are on this website," he said.
Shilkin said Google was committed to acting promptly on any and all inquiries and was prioritising responses to Street View requests.
"There's been absolutely unprecedented interest and enthusiasm in this launch and great awareness of the easily accessible online tools," he said.
"We've already responded to the vast majority of requests and enquiries and will continue to process any outstanding ones quickly."
By Asher Moses