Greece bars Google's Street View pending details

Greece's data protection agency Monday barred Google from taking any more images on the nation's streets for its Street View feature, pending "additional information" from the US search engine service.

In a statement, it said it wants Google to disclose how long it intends to keep the images it takes, and what steps it is taking to alert residents liable to be photographed of their rights.

For the same reasons, the Greek Data Protection Authority also suspended a comparable service run by Greek Internet service provider Kapou which depicted streets in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larissa cities.

Launched two years ago in the United States, Street View gives Google users a 360-degree view of any given street. In response to critics, Google says it blurs out the faces of any passers-by caught by its cameras.

(c) 2009 AFP