Germany's government is urging the Internet industry to produce a voluntary data protection code to cover services like Google Inc.'s "Street View" mapping service.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere met today with representatives of Google and Apple Inc. among others after Google's plans to introduce "Street View" in Germany ignited concerns in the privacy-conscious country over the extent to which people's personal data are accessible on the Internet.

De Maiziere said he proposed that industry draw up a data protection code by December 7, and "this met with approval."

The minister said he expects the industry to commit to "data protection-friendly basic settings" and to give information "in a user-friendly way" about the gathering and intended use of data.