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Google Earth Censorship
By Nick on January 17, 2009
New Year is over and I can resume my virtual travels around Google Earth. My brother is over the moon because I bought him a Space Navigator for Christmas so he can get even more out of his trips to Fiji and elsewhere.
Google Earth covers the globe, as you would expect, and that includes sensitive areas that governments would rather keep hidden. Indeed, as public access to this technology has grown, along with the quality of the images provided by Google, there have been reports in the mainstream media that Google Earth assists terrorist groups in planning attacks. Recent examples include the attacks in Mumbai and Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel.
So does Google Earth assist terrorists, and what are governments doing to prevent exposing potential targets to the Google satellites?
We already know that there is a significant difference between now and when the satellite footage was taken. I’m sure I read that the images in Google Earth are around three years out-of-date, and this lag is long enough for the White House to be removed from the list of missing or unclear sites, and for Israel to allow the world a view of its Dimona Nuclear Reactor.
However, many sites are still “unclear” or censored completely. Indeed it’s interesting looking through Wikipedia’s list to see what is hidden from public scrutiny. Airports, universities, even shopping malls are among them, no doubt in fear of being targeted by the “enemy”.
It makes you wonder just what kind of deals go on between Google, governments and businesses which have successfully achieved cloaking. Would they hide my backyard from satellite view if I requested it? What if I painted profanity on the roof of my house?
Somehow I doubt it. Arguments about privacy rights are deafened by the establishment’s cries of “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear!”
The other argument, of course, is whether the threat of terrorism is real and likely enough that censoring places in Google Earth is worth doing. Will censorship increase in the virtual world, or will Google reject calls for censorship before its software loses its worth? And let’s not forget that Google Earth isn’t the only program offering free, global satellite imagery. The more they censor, the more people will flock to Microsoft Virtual Earth.
Inspired by Google Maps: Eye on Israel.
Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment
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One Response to “Google Earth Censorship”
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Mark Ramsay, globetrotting from an armchair in England.
7:57 pm on January 20th, 2009
Gosh Nick, Wow what do you say to that then. Hmmm. Oh, Hmmm, not sure really, that was a very educational report, that I did not know about. If it is true, then god forbid anyone in this world as terrorists could easily find you. Thanks for that. It is amazing infact shocking.