( CNN ) -- Internet giant Google has been stopped from gathering images in Greek cities for its Street View service until it provides further guarantees about privacy . One of Google 's Street View camera cars capturing images in central London . Launched in the U.S. two years ago , Street View provides users with access to 3-D `` pedestrian's-eye '' views of urban areas by zooming into the lowest level on its Google Maps and Google Earth applications . It has since been rolled out in more than 100 cities in Japan , Australia , New Zealand , France , Spain , Italy , Britain and the Netherlands . The images are obtained from cars specially-fitted with cameras that drive around towns and cities taking panoramic 360 degree shots of everything from pedestrians in the street , to customers sitting in street cafes . Despite pledging to recognize local privacy laws , Google has come under fire from privacy campaigners who fear the application could be abused by criminals or even snooping government agencies . Do you agree ? Share your thoughts below . In April , a group of villagers in a picturesque English village chased away one of the search engine 's camera cars as it attempted to photograph their homes . Fearing the appearance of their well appointed properties on the Web site would attract criminals scouting for burglary targets , villagers in Broughton , north of London , summoned the police after blocking the car . A month earlier , the BBC reported that Google was forced to pull a number of images from Street View after receiving complaints about pictures that included a man entering a London sex shop , and a drunken reveler being sick at a bus stop . The search giant has now run into trouble in Greece after being blocked by the country 's privacy watchdog from expanding its service there . The Hellenic Data Protection Authority wants further clarification from Google about how long it will store images for and the measures in place to make people aware of privacy rights . In a statement , a Google spokesperson told CNN : `` Street View has not been banned in Greece . We have received a request for further information from the Greek DPA and we are happy to continue discussing these issues with them and provide information they request . `` Google takes privacy very seriously , and that 's why we have put in place a number of features , including the blurring of faces and license plates , to ensure that Street View will respect local norms when it launches in Greece . `` We believe that launching Street View in Greece will offer enormous benefits to both Greek users and the people elsewhere who are interested in taking a virtual tour of some of its many tourist attractions . ''
Greek watchdog wants more information from The Hellenic Data Protection Authority about privacy measures . Privacy campaigners say Google Maps could be abused . Residents of more than 100 Japan village say it will help burglars scout targets . Google says it is n't breaking any laws and takes privacy very seriously .