US Bases Block Google Camera Crews

Google camera teams have been banned from US military installations after panoramic views of the inside of a Texas base ended up on the internet, the AP reports. The street-level images show "where all the guards are, how the barriers go up and down, how to get in and out of buildings," said a general worried about the security implications. A message sent to all Defense Department facilities has ordered officials not to allow Google Earth crews to photograph them.

Google executives say they've pulled the images and that their crew wasn't following company policy when they asked for—and received—permission to film inside the military base for the company's internet "Street View" feature. Street View has proved a popular Google feature, but Defense Department officials haven't been the only people to complain about security and privacy issues. (More Google stories.)