US military blocks Google from mapping bases

The US Defence Department said on Thursday it was 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.

Pentagon received a report that Google Maps was collecting imagery and 360 degree views, including detailed imagery, of a base in Texas. The Defence 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. Specifically, images of the Fort Sam Houston army base in Texas were posted.

Google employees had entered military bases with permission to conduct mapping and had taken panoramic images of the area with roof-mounted recording equipment, the activity is seen as a 'potential threat.

The bottom line is while they are on base they collect detailed imagery of access controls, headquarters locations, security facilities and community areas, that poses an operational risk to the force protection.

The department directive called on base officials to prevent 360 degree photography of base areas for use on the Internet, and to deny access to vehicles with 'imaging or surveillance capabilities' that do not have the base commander's authorisation.