One of the salient features of Google Maps, Street View, that has made the service such a phenomenal success, has yet again landed Google Inc. in trouble, and this time with German authorities. With the recent launch of the Street view feature in Germany, Google had intended to provide the users with high resolution images to aid them in navigation. However, a certain error in the Street View feature, led Google Maps to show even those properties, that were prohibited from being featured in Google Maps.

The error was first noticed by users running Google Maps on Apple iPads and iPhones, and as per numerous reports, the properties that Google was supposed to blur in the Street View were visible to the public. Google had taken the Street view imagery of Oberstaufen and landmarks in five other German cities, that were added to Google Maps on Tuesday. However, Google acted quickly, before this issue could further escalate and has agreed to black out these images, that the search giant had previously agreed to blur. Yet the Data Protection Agency (DPA) for Hamburg, Germany is now having doubts about Google’s data collection practices, as the blurred images were supposed to be permanently deleted from Google’s databases, before releasing the Street View feature in Google Maps.

Before launching the Street View, Google had agreed to pay heed to the users’ requests, who wished to had their houses and properties blurred out in Street View, before releasing the images to the public. Google Inc. is currently planning to expand the Street View feature across 14 more German cities by the end of this year. However, this recent skirmish with the DPA, could easily put a major hurdle in Google’s expansion plans.

Via PC World