Google has complied with a request by the Pentagon to remove some online images from its street-level map service because they pose a security threat to U.S. military bases, military and company officials said on Thursday. General Gene Renuart, head of the military command responsible for homeland defense, said the Pentagon had talked to Google about the risks and expected the company to cooperate in removing selected images from its Street View service. "We have been contacted by the military," Google spokesman Larry Yu said. "In those instances where they (the U.S military) have expressed concerns about the imagery, we have accommodated their requests."
The images that worry the Pentagon include views of bases, including security at the entrances to those installations. "It actually shows where all the guards are. It shows how the barriers go up and down. It shows how to get in and out of buildings," said Renuart, commander of U.S. Northern Command. "I think that poses a real security risk for our military installations." However, a Google spokesman said his company"s policy was to photograph only those images visible from public roads. "It is against Google"s policy for a driver to seek access to a military base," Yu said.