SAN DIEGO -- These days, you don't have to be a celebrity to find yourself staring down the lens of a camera.

"That's the society we live in now; your picture is being taken everywhere," said Ocean Beach resident Leila Niehuser.

We are being tracked everywhere we go.

"It's just unnerving to know you're under surveillance when you're leaving your house," said Niehuser.

Niehuser found her photo in an online search. One photo showed her leaving her house, and another showed her walking to her car.

"You're unaware of the fact that your picture could be taken at any moment," said Niehuser.

So, who is playing paparazzi with Niehuser?

It isn't some camera-toting snoop -- it's Internet giant Google and its street view maps.

10News learned Google was in San Diego last August canvassing the county by taking photos of public places.

Along the way, people like Niehuser were unknowing models who found their pictures on the Internet.

Google told the 10News I-Team that the company only took pictures while driving on public roads. The company said they never did this on private property, including military bases. You could ask Google to remove your picture by e-mailing them.

Like it or not, many U.S. security experts said Google is part of our new reality. It could be used for good or it could be used for other purposes, but it's here to stay.

Bob Herold of security systems company Pelco said, "Video cameras are a help and they're not 'Big Brother' watching you."

Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing depends on who you talk to.

Kevin Keenan of the American Civil Liberties Union said, "We're integrating technology at a very fast pace at a great risk to privacy."

Anyone and everyone could now capture your image.

"Everyone with a cell phone camera has the ability to take video," said technology expert Don Zoufao who works for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Like cell phone technology, video technology is improving all the time. It is also getting cheaper, too.

Cameras made by Pelco could shoot video a mile away.

In Canada, cameras could scan license places as drivers speed by at 70 mph, instantly tracking plate numbers hoping to make a match for an Amber Alert or stolen vehicles.

But nothing compares to Great Britain, where there are 5 million surveillance cameras watching at all times.

After the July 2005 bus and trolley attacks in London, investigators had video to help solve the case. British citizens are willing to accept the many cameras because they make them feel safer.

In San Diego, there is surveillance on public transportation -- 11 trolleys and 80 Metropolitan Transit System buses. Homeland Security recently announced it would fund more cameras for mass transportation in San Diego.

Matthew Bettenhausen of California's Department of Homeland Security said, "They're an important law enforcement tool. They're not there to spy on the average citizen."

10News surveyed local law enforcement to see where they use video technology:

National City has four cameras in high-crime areas on Roosevelt Avenue

Chula Vista police only have cameras in squad cars

San Diego police use 14 cameras for crime prevention in the Mid-City and beach areas

Carlsbad has 10 cameras in Legoland and in North County Fair shopping center

La Mesa and Oceanside said they don't use surveillance cameras

Sheriff's deputies all have digital cameras they carry with them

Security expert Grant Fredericks said, "The way to prevent crime is to let the criminals know you're on video."

Still, some local police agencies were reluctant to tell 10News about their surveillance cameras, but admitted they are a useful crime-fighting tool.

Fredericks said, "It's as invaluable to a police officer as a gun and a set of handcuffs."

"There are better ways, more proven ways, cheaper ways to protect us than putting up more and more surveillance cameras," said Keenan.

Keenan said surveillance cameras are not the only solution.

"There are alternatives. We can put up more lighting to reduce crime rather than surveillance cameras, and that's actually been proven to be effective," said Keenan.