Belgium to sue Google for not blurring military sites
Belgium to sue Google for not blurring military sites
The Belgian Defense Ministry had requested the tech giant
to blur satellite images of sensitive military sites. Several other countries
have expressed national security concerns over Google Maps in the past.
Belgium has said it will take legal action against Google
for not complying with its requests to blur satellite images of sensitive
defense sites.
The Belgian Defense Ministry said it had asked the
technology giant to blur sites such as air bases and nuclear power stations,
citing national security concerns.
"The Ministry of Defense will sue Google," a
ministry spokeswoman said, without giving further details.
Google has previously complied with similar requests from
other countries including France and the Netherlands. However, in Belgium,
military sites including the Kleine Brogel air base near the Dutch border,
nuclear plants, the country's crisis center and petroleum installations in the
Port of Antwerp can still be seen on Google Maps' satellite views.
'It's a shame'
Google expressed regret over the decision by the Belgian
Defense Ministry.
"It's a shame the Belgium Department of Defense has
decided to take this decision," said Michiel Sallaets, a spokesman for
Google in Belgium.
"We have been working closely with them for more
than two years, making changes to our maps where asked and legal."
Google Maps Street View services, which allows a person
to get a 360-degree panoramic view of streets, museums, parks and other
locations, has also had to deal with security and privacy concerns in many
countries.
In Germany, residents can ask for their home to be
blurred out.
Google street view remains unapproved in India, where the
government says the high-resolution images could compromise security of
sensitive military installations.
ap/kms (Reuters, dpa)
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