Britain OKs Google street-mapping

LONDON, April 23 (UPI) -- Google can conduct street-level mapping in Britain as long as faces and addresses are blurred, British regulators ruled Thursday.

The Information Commissioner's Office rejected complaints by privacy advocates to stop the Internet search giant from mapping Britain with its Street View program, The Telegraph reported.

"In a world where many people tweet, Facebook and blog it is important to take a common-sense approach towards Street View and the relatively limited privacy intrusion it may cause," said ICO spokesman David Evans.

Privacy advocates had argued Street View could be used by thieves and terrorists to research targets. Street View lets Web users "walk" along streets, exploring 360-degree images recorded from eye level.

Google officials said they took privacy concerns under consideration when they designed Street View and have built in tools to blur sensitive information.