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Indian Government Worries Google Maps Will Compromise National Security

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/THANASSIS STAVRAKIS
CREDIT: AP PHOTO/THANASSIS STAVRAKIS

The Indian government won’t sign off on expanding Google Maps in the country amid security concerns. The country’s Home Ministry rejected Google’s proposal Friday to add 360-degree panoramic photos to Maps’ Street View in India, which allows users to virtually roam the streets of a particular area.

A Ministry spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that a final decision on the matter could come later this year without elaborating on the specific security issues raised.

Google and the Indian government have tangled over Maps’ Street View function since the service was introduced to the country in 2011. The tech giant halted operations in Bangalore shortly after when police complained that Google’s camera-strapped car fleet was taking photos of potentially security-sensitive locations, including those related to national defense.

India’s Defense Ministry told the Hindu newspaper that it was impossible to monitor the images Google was taking and failing to do so could damage national security.

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Google has since been able to snap photos of tourist locations such as the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar in Dehli but hasn’t been able to map local roads as it has in other countries, such as the United States.

Facebook’s Feel-Good Project Turns Into A PR DisasterWorld by CREDIT: Internet.org Facebook is facing significant pushback in India. The social network’s feel-good project…thinkprogress.orgAmerican-based tech companies have faced major pushback from international governments over privacy and security issues. Germany has legally challenged Google to change its data privacy practices and requested the Street View function use blurred images to better protect consumers.

India has also been vigilantly fighting U.S. tech companies on behalf of its consumers. The nation strongly protested Facebook’s Free Basics program, which partnered with select telecom companies and media outlets to provide free mobile internet to the masses. Protesters argued the program didn’t align with the spirit of net neutrality, the concept that all internet access be open and free from third party influence. Facebook canceled the Free Basics rollout in India earlier this year.