Security News > 2022 > July > Google brings Street View back to India following 2016 ban

Google has brought its Street View service - which offers photographs of most locations on Google Maps - back to India, six years after the nation rejected it as an invasion of privacy and a threat to national security.

India blocked Street View in 2016 due to national security authorities feeling that freely available photography could assist terrorists.

Google's efforts to collect Street View imagery ran into trouble before the ban, with a dispute about permission for photo-harvesting in 2011 and possible disclosure of military bases in 2013 among the incidents Google tried to smooth over.

"Our India launch marks the first time in the world that Street View data collection is being brought to life completely by local partners," Google said on Wednesday.

The company's previous problems with Street View suggest that's not always been the case, although the only-for-India smartphone and Android variant created with local carrier Jio shows how far Google will sometimes go to do business on the sub-continent.

Google has also tweaked Google Maps for Indian users, adding info like speed limits and air quality information to the service.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/google_street_view_returns_india/