Military clampdown on Google Street View

10th March 2008

Google is no longer allowed to feature images of military installations after the Pentagon deemed its Street View feature a security threat.

The authorities clamped down on the search giant after detailed photographs of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, appeared on the web.

Gary Ross, a spokesperson for US Northern Command, said "We don't have any issues regarding Google and its products, but the Street View provides clear imagery of control points, barriers, headquarters and security facilities that pose a risk to our force-protection efforts."

Google representative Larry Yu said that it is against the company's policy to request access to military bases for use in Street View.

The request for access to Fort Sam Houston - and subsequent permit to take photos from authorities - was reportedly a mistake.

According to comScore, Google was the top web property in January in the UK, receiving 29,633 unique visitors.