Police Complaints Stall Google Street View In India

Google Street View cars in Bangalore, India have stopped driving following a complaint from the Commissioner of Police. The whys and wherefores have yet to be revealed, but Google has confirmed with Indian digital media watchdog MediaNama that they're putting the brakes on until "[they] have a chance to answer any questions or concerns the Police have.”

As a quick refresher, Google Street View is the 360-degree, panoramic street-level imagery that Google provides for many Google Maps locations in the United States and 27 other countries. In late May, Google had announced that it would be deploying its specially-equipped fleet of Street View cars - along with custom three-wheel pedicabs nicknamed "Google Trikes" - to the roads of Bangalore.

But less than a month later, it looks like the project might be on hold because of policy concerns around whether or not Google Street View is a media publishing entity. As MediaNama explains, the Indian government has placed limits on the amount of foreign involvement in domestic media, and publishing photos of the streets of Bangalore online might be in violation.

However, that's just conjecture, and MediaNama doesn't think that those rules apply to Google Street View. More likely, this is a case of confusion over Google's permits - or the result of privacy complaints, as happened in Germany.