When Google first started collecting Street View data, it largely did so without asking permission from the countries where it was doing it, though no doubt it checked local laws first. read more
Austria banned Google from collecting Street View for a while, to give the government time to consider the issues, then lifted that ban in April 2011, subject to various conditions; but by then, Google had decided not to go ahead with Street View in Austria. read more
"The official launch of Street View in Austria is expected to happen in six to twelve months," Google Austria spokesman Wolfgang Fasching-Kapfenberger told AFP. Under Austrian law, Street View cars will only be allowed to capture photos but not videos. read more