Privacy watchdog on alert as Google prepares to launch Street View project in Hong Kong

The personal data watchdog has weighed into the privacy fears sparked around the world by a new Google Maps feature - which shows photographs of cities at street level - before it is launched in Hong Kong later this year.

Privacy Commissioner Roderick Woo Bun said he had approached the Web giant about its Street View project's measures for handling personal data.

'The facts presently known to me do not suggest that there has been a breach of the Hong Kong privacy law,' he said yesterday. 'I wish to assure the public that I shall look seriously into any complaint made by an affected individual.'

His office has not received any complaints about the feature, but Mr Woo said he was concerned that privacy fears had been sparked 'wherever the project goes'.

Launched in the US in 2007 and now available in more cities in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South America and Britain, the project has proved controversial, with images of a woman in her underwear, a man walking into an adult bookshop and even a burglary in progress being published on the Web. The project aims to allow people to view and navigate 360- degree imagery of streetscapes. Vehicles with roof-mounted cameras are assigned to cruise the streets and take photographs.

Google has confirmed that a car has been taking photos on public roads in Hong Kong since December.