3D images of Taiwan to be pulled from Google Maps

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Three-dimensional satellite images of Taiwan will be pulled from Google Maps, the American technology company said Saturday.

Following the problems brought about by the recent update to Google Maps, the company issued a statement saying it has already removed the three-dimensional imaging service of four cities in Taiwan.

Google's widely used search engine recently began posting three-dimensional images of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Taichung cities as part of its new map services.

But netizens soon discovered that the National Security Bureau (NSB), Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB), and the country's Patriot missile installation in Xindian District, all classified venues located in the Greater Taipei area, were exposed in detail.

The issue prompted the government to discuss the issue with Google.

On Friday, Defense Minister Yen De-fa (嚴德發) confirmed that the locations of Taiwan's important military deployments have been removed from the web mapping service's platform.

Because the aerial images provided by providers usually come in batches, however, they cannot be cropped or modified even though some parcels or areas are considered sensitive, Google told CNA, and therefore 3-D images for entire areas had to be removed.

Google's new 3-D map service of Taiwan will be taken down indefinitely, the company said, and there are currently no plans to bring the feature back.