Opinions vary in Germany on 'Street View'

BERLIN - Google will introduce its "Street View" mapping feature for 20 of Germany's largest cities before the end of the year, the company announced on Tuesday, launching a new debate over privacy in Germany.

German officials have been one of the harshest critics of the Street View program, which provides detailed photographs of neighborhoods taken by Google cameras.

At the insistence of authorities, the faces of individuals and license plates will be blurred. People can also ask to have images of their homes removed from the database starting next week - a move aimed at dispelling privacy fears.