Could Google Street View Cars be Used to Plot Terror Attacks in Israel?

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel says it is considering ways to allow Google Street View to photograph Israeli cities, despite concerns the popular service could be used to plot terror attacks.

An official statement says a team of Israeli Cabinet ministers instructed experts Monday to work with Google to find a safe way to implement the feature "as soon as possible."

Street View allows users to virtually tour locations on a map. It is already available in 27 countries. Google uses special vehicles with panoramic cameras to take ground-level, 3-D images.

The feature has sparked intense debate about personal privacy in other countries, but in Israel, officials are concerned about putting unprecedented information about potential terrorism targets on the Internet.

This isn't the first time Google's Street View cars have come under scrutiny. Many questioned the cars last year after it was revealed they collected data from open Wi-Fi connections they passed while snapping pictures throughout the world. Some even referred to it as as the "Wi-Spy" fiasco.

Google declined to comment regarding Israel's plans.