The Pentagon has banned Google
from taking photographs and video
footage of US military bases after
images showing important security
features of a base in Texas appeared on
the company’s website. The Defence
Department’s ultimatum came after
images showing entry gates, barriers and
buildings within the Fort Sam Houstan
base, in Texas, were posted on a section
of Google’s site which offers panoramic
street views of different locations.
Google later said its decision to
request access to the base – which had
been approved – was a mistake.
In a letter to all Defence Department
bases and installations in the US, the
Pentagon said that providing 360-degree
views of defence facilities could offer
sensitive information to potential
adversaries and in turn endanger staff.
Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, chief of
the US Northern Command, wrote that in
this case the photographs – which were
taken by a camera mounted on a vehicle
dispatched by Google – showed “where
all the guards are, how the barriers go up
and down, and how to get in and out of
buildings. I think that poses a real security
risk to our military installations,” he wrote.
It was not clear from the letter why
Google had been given permission to
get inside and photograph the base.
In a statement, a Google spokesperson
said: “It is against our policy to request
access to military installation for the
purpose of capturing imagery in Street
View.” Once contacted by the military,
Google quickly took the images
down, the spokesperson added.
General Renuart said that after it
had been given access to the base,
Google took “panoramic images of
the area with roof-mounted recording
equipment. These images were placed
on the internet for public access.”
He said that the ban was not intended as
an attack on the search firm, but indicated
the military’s concern about the secondary
effects of an otherwise useful technology.
“Google was very appreciative of
us letting them know that we had a
concern,” he said. “They understand
the security implications, and they have given us no indication that they would
not be helpful to us if we asked.”
Street View is an addition to Google’s
already popular maps service, which
allows visitors to click on a location and
see a 360-degree view of the spot. The
feature has raised concerns about privacy
after people have been pictured – their
faces clearly visible – being arrested,
sunbathing, and urinating in public.
So far streets and other locations in about
30 major American cities, including
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and
San Francisco, have been photographed.
Google has not said whether it intends
to expand the feature to the UK.
The Pentagon’s letter comes just days
after it was reported that protesters
used satellite imagery from Google
Earth to gain access to the roof of the
Houses of Parliament in London.
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