Taiwan asks Google to blur its S. China Sea facility images

Taiwan wants Google to blur satellite images of its military facility on the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Images on Google Earth and Google Maps show four military buildings on the island of Itu Aba, which is controlled by Taiwan but also claimed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

"Under the pre-condition of protecting military secrets and security, we have requested Google blur images of important military facilities," Chen Chung-chi, Taiwan defence ministry spokesman said.

The latest images updated in July show that the military structures may have been upgraded. This could further strain relations between the four countries.

Google said it would review Taiwan's request but had not previously removed images.

"We take security concerns very seriously and are always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials," Google's spokesman, Taj Meadows, said.