US military blocks Google from mapping bases

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Defense Department said Thursday it is forbidding Google from filming and depicting in detail its military bases, after officials found precise imagery of a Texas base on the Google Maps website.

"We received a report that Google Maps was collecting imagery and 360 degree views, including detailed imagery, of a base in Texas," Gary Ross, spokesman for the US Northern Command, told AFP in explaining the Pentagon's move.

The Defense Department issued a statement that said "detailed ground level imagery" of US military installations had been placed on Google Maps.

"Images include 360 degree views of the covered area to include access control points, barriers, headquarters, facilities and community areas," it said.

Specifically,...