Google mappers banned from U.S. bases from the LA Times reports the US Pentagon has banned Google StreetView photographers from accessing military bases. The ban came after StreetView photographs of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio were found on Google Maps.

Reportedly, Fort Sam Houston gave Google access to the base after a promise not to take photos. An anonymous person told the LA Times, “Unfortunately, Google didn’t follow the rules.” Google spokesman Larry Yu said, “against our policy, we did mistakenly access the base.”

Gary Ross, spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command, said:

The Street View provides clear imagery of control points, barriers, headquarters and security facilities that pose a risk to our force-protection efforts.

So now, Google is banned from U.S. military bases.

Related Topics: Google: Maps & Local | Legal: Privacy | Legal: Security

About The Author: Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio over here. See more articles by Barry Schwartz