Some in the Dutch govt. worry about Google Earth (but not IBM or MSFT?) in this article.
Both politicians and police are concerned that certain locations in the Netherlands, such as the port of Rotterdam, the royal palace in the Hague and Amsterdam Airport, already potential terrorist targets, could be made more vulnerable to terrorists thanks to the detailed images created from satellites and aircrafts within the last three years available via Google Earth.
I was seriously waiting to hear a post regarding just this. I knew the paranoia factor would surface somewhere. It was just a matter of time. There will always be those who feel that information sharing is dangerous.
I think it is just that… paranoia. To my knowledge, nobody has proven that the internet has made terrorist any more effective than they were in the past. I expect nobody shall be able to do so either that either.
I am also sure there were similar fears over the printing press and the postal service.
Sure, Google Earth has made this type of info more accessible and known. But shouldn’t the issue be one for the companies that provide the actual imagery to Google? Removing imagery from Google Earth doesn’t make it inaccessible elsewhere. For example, most of the imagery can be purchased at GlobeXPlorer.com
The first one to pose a “National Security Threat” was none other but the NASA. Their World Wind product was downloadable long before Google’s or MSN’s. See comparison here.
Tell ya what, there are more governments out there, other than the Dutch, who are scared sh!#less about the possible national security threats from platforms like Google Earth and Maps. Primarily due to the fact that they don’t understand the technology and have extreme paranoia because they suddenly realize that everyone can see their house. Or, have been caught in the act doing something they would rather wish they hadn’t.
This is crazy! All the satalites are doing is capturing light! It’s not stealing anything!