Google Earth asked to back off (Sat Photos Security Risk?)

[RamboLiberal]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/20/MNGD8GALOR1.DTL

When Google introduced Google Earth, free software that marries satellite and aerial images with mapping capabilities, the company emphasized its usefulness as a teaching and navigation tool, while advertising the pure entertainment value of high-resolution flyover images of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the pyramids.

But since its debut last summer, Google Earth has received attention of an unexpected sort. Officials of several nations have expressed alarm over its detailed display of government buildings, military installations and other sensitive sites within their borders.

India, whose laws sharply restrict satellite and aerial photography, has been particularly outspoken. "It could severely compromise a country's security," V.S. Ramamurthy, secretary in India's federal Department of Science and Technology, said of Google Earth.

Similar sentiments have surfaced in news reports from other countries. South Korean officials have said they fear that Google Earth lays bare details of sensitive military installations. Thai security officials said they intended to ask Google to block images of vulnerable government buildings.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "All your data are belong to us." - BushCo

eom

[Atman]

2. The Great Equalizer

If everyone can see what everyone else is up to, then couldn't one actually say it is a good thing? This is the very argument the government gives us when it says it wants to put security cameras atop every light pole. I say, make Google Earth real-time, and make everybody live with it! Fuck you, world governments!...aw, too bad, Google Earth lets everyone see that you're violating treaties and lying about your weapons. Ain't technology grand?!

[cshldoc]

5. The Transparent Society

Mr. Atman: David Brin is calling on line one.

[0rganism]

12. That would certainly increase government spending on tunnelling

In your world, I would buy stock in mining equipment manufacturers.

[merwin]

3. News flash: Google Earth isn't the only one doing that.

MSN is doing that to now. So are many others. So what? They're using public information that anyone can get for either free or very cheap. Plus, the pictures for most of it are 1 to 3 years old, so you're not endangering any national security.

[tx_dem41]

4. Agreed.

In my job, I have been purchasing such imagery for years. The imagery for the most part is at least 3 years old.

[Ian David]

6. Many U.S. sites are obscured for security reasons

NASA in Cape Kennedy is only available in low-resolution.

The White House is partially obscured.

The Magic Kingdom (but not EPCOT) is only in low-res.

But some places like Sandia National Laboratories and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, last time I checked, were still available in high-res pictures.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

8. "The White House is partially obscured."

Not any more, but I think what they've got has all of the security installations photoshopped out. (but no longer just blank space on top of those buildings)

[MrPrax]

7. Sham debate...

The satelitte photos are open to anyone and so no one would be advantaged, which I presume is what the various military types fear--too many eyes scruntinizing their intelligence claims.

Any so-called terrorist would never rely simply on a satelitte photo anyway--their usually local and simply wait for an opportunity.

Apparantly satellite photos are big business (or used to be) and none like it too much that Google is getting into the act.

[uncle ray]

9. i don't know, other countries could have a legitimate gripe.

google is an american company, right? so it's a piece of cake for American authorities to tell Google what not to show in the name of national security, but in the case of a foreign country that finds they have sensitive information displayed, they have to disclose the fact that those sites are sensitive for some reason to a foriegn company that would most definately share that information with the American government, giving the US a possible advantage over other countries. the whole rest of the world is at a disadvantage to the US in this regard.

[cliss]

10. This web site is amazing.

We downloaded the Google.earth for free. It took a long time....it's millions of photos of the earth, after all.

Once it was downloaded, we took a trip to Egypt. Looked at the pyramids. It was awesome. Next, we went to Paris. Looked at the Eiffel tower. It was there.

Went to the Himalayas, checked out K-2. These are real photos.

After traveling the world, we went back home to Oregon. Located my parents house. We saw the old van, sitting on the property. Even my parents' garden was visible. You could even see 2 people, standing by the van. THAT'S how detailed these photos are. Next, we checked out the hated neighbor, saw that he put an addition on to his house which we didn't know about.

Unbelievable, amazing.

http://www.google.earth.com

[Baclava]

11. TerraFly is cool too

http://www.terrafly.com/

(You'll have to turn off your pop-up blockers)

I'm planting a bunch of bushes in my back yard to spell out "FUCK YOU" from above...should be cool.