Yet again, Google Earth has emerged as a cause for concern - this time from a different quarter -the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Yet again, Google Earth has emerged as a cause for concern - this time from a different quarter - the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The bone of contention - that Google Earth allows users access to high resolution images of several "sensitive" areas, including national defense headquarters, airfields, etc.
According to reports, ISRO Chief, G Madhavan Nair, has asked for a dialogue with Google officials on the controversial issue. Nair expressed the view that the satellite images of sensitive areas offered by Google Earth are of great concern to the country.
Nair believes it is necessary to convince Google, not to display fine details of these areas in the interest of global security. He said defense agencies should be worried, as there are certain methods of doing things that are best not displayed in the public domain.
Sources in the IAF claim that detailed images, like the manner in which aircrafts are parked, can be exploited by enemy forces to extract information on the number and status of aircrafts with the force.
This, is not the first time that concern has been raised over Google Earth. Earlier on, the President of India, Shri A P J Abdul Kalam, and several other countries including South Korea and Thailand have all voiced similar concerns.
In the latest case, Google has defended itself saying that the satellite images that are displayed are not live, and that they might have been taken months back.
,kokkiligadda kothapalem, on Feb 26, 2010 12:53 PM
i located my village in Google earth but iam unable to see in Google maps..i cant trace my village name in my locality.so i thought that my village was not there in Google database and it may be update in future....so i need know..is there any procedure to update(Any request to Google)my village name in Google maps
we wiant see the veiw of my village but we not able to see the veiw . We tre since last 1months.
so kindly help for open the google earth & see the veiw of my nativ palce
Dear google maker.
This is in relation with the sefty of the GOOGLE EARTH website that keeping in mind the danger from the terrorist activities really it is a cause of concern for whole of the international community. So when the informaton has been published in a form of maps and the boundries of the whole world. taking into consideration this point that the terrorist group can anytime use this site for their harmful activities which are dangereous. So it is the question of government policy rather than recieving the opinions from the people. Know-how is fix that it is the couse of concern.
Dear google maker, I am really happy with the contents of this site. so far as the importance is concerned it is knowledge bond rather than just an information for the internet users so it is very nice thing that your team is doing for whole world by keeping in mind , the great essence of the site. H ave a nice day for all the members of the google earth. keep making.
This is a uniq and very intersting & Very Knowledgable sitile,thanks to google admn. who provieded us a knowledgable things, also a lots of information to this site available. thanks again to google
This is very intersting & Very Knowledgable sitile, lots of information to this site available.
I Want a Uattar Pradesh capital lucknow satelile picture
the other day, on ndtv they had an interesting new item. our defence experts (which BTW don't include APJAK) found that china has developed a replica of aksai chin (all the topological features) to help train their soldiers/plan. the replica is in ningxia province in central china. furthermore, there are similar replicas of places in arunachal and taiwan in various other parts of china. oh, guess how they found these replicas - yes it was google earth.
Mr. Indian Citizen , Just because terrorists use Mobile phones, we cannot ban mobiles phones and blame the technology . Same way, don't blame google earth for terrorist activities, rather suggest something smarter to avoid terrorist misuse the technology rather than just shutting down the technology growth. Come on citizen Think smart.
You are an ACE at what ??? You must be ACE of IDIOTS. This is national security d00d, not a child's play for idiots like you who just sit in some cyber cafe and type anything. ******* ;)
Where is it written "ISRO has failed to launch its satellite and it blaming Google". This article has no relation with the failure of the satellite. Idiots like you always are a BIG CONCERN for the future of the country.
Cool it, folks G-Earth is NOT as big a threat as it is made out to be! Yea, it does make it look simple to obtain terrain information allright, though. But I don't think its such a big deal either. Planning an operation surely requires much more than just terrain maps.
Hey Peter, do you know anything about security ??? Earlier, you were not allowed to take pics inside the airport, even that a part of security. Your statement "Planning an operation surely requires much more than just terrain maps" is illogical cuz it is an important part of such operations. MIND IT NEXT TIME. If national security and President thinks it as a concern, they have to be right. They know more than you or me.
Baah! There are so many services available which can give more accurate pictures.But due to this rucus Google is not providing us good pictures of our city which are not defence related. Why should we suffer?
Another military hoax, isn't it? Even if Google Earth does give you so-called detailed images, who cares? People planning to attack important military sites won't need a third-class software to get images of such areas. They'd probably invest in real-time satellite-imagery system instead of watching stupid maps on Google Earth. Bob, please don't be ridiculous, "It's so accurate you can see the people walking, check the dimensions of the building and count the ventilation devices on the roof...". It isn't that good!
Bloody American!!!
If pictures are not live and not a security concern then why not white house and pentagon is displayed...why the graphics displayed in that case ?
I see you don't know how to use Google Earth.
Type "38.87, -77.06" in the "Fly to" window of Google Earth, and you will land right in the middle of the Pentagon's inner courtyard.
It's so accurate you can see the people walking, check the dimensions of the building and count the ventilation devices on the roof...
Mr.Citizen, if anyone wants information and the landmark of the place to be targetted, there are always hundred and one methods and I am sure gearth will not become the only source...let the technology grow!
feel issue is about privacy which google is exploiting so Mr. nair is right in his point of view. any one would not like their home or building desing plans getting public . so is the nations's plan of our naval and aircraft bases.
I agree with but military hardware are not stationary , military take real time pic that matters. Whether INS Viraat is anchored at mumbai port seen in Gearth really dont mean any thing.
Nair wants to prevent ordinary folks from accessing the images.Adversary countries, say Pakistan or China, already access better images, either their own, or those commercially available.
A simple question , we didnt hear Mr Bush or Mr Tony blair making any noise about Google Earth. Did anybody heard??
The simple thing is that information was available , is available and will be availbe to the persons who need it. ISRO org mask sensative info on the satellite image they sell. You go to any other country swipe your card at particular site and will get same image without masking.
Pls Mr Nair face the technology rather than critisizing as a typical technocratic way
i feel issue is about privacy which google is exploiting so Mr. nair is right in his point of view. any one would not like their home or building desing plans getting public.
just seeing strategic locations means nothing. Who doesnt know where is our parliament, a military base, or any highsecurity region. Unless & until the the coordinate & projection system are known which is country specific, and the origin of our country is known(which is classified) google earth posses no strategic threat. As for terrosrist activities they were as much present now as they were 100 yrs back. U cannot block technology for fear of terrorism. or else let us all take a trip to stoneage.
Terrorists do have better ways to plan and map for terrorist activities. Blocking images wouldn't make much difference. Free speech shouldn't be arrested!
Haha, Joke of the new century. What the heck terrorist would do with google earth when our own sick country men already sold secret information to the west and pakistanis...how soon can you forget navy war room leak case and the recent new delhi diplomat where he sold indian militray information to the americans for a job in newyork.
Its better to scoop an indian than to click around the net looking of six month old map.
We Indians really have a false pride on our military strength..where we least know we get all our supplies from the second hand equipment of the russian made that too a high end kick to our currupt polititians..
FOLKS ..get a life..instead of blabarring indian flase pride
No obstructing on freedom of speech, its freedom of sight ... You definately do not want a robber to know the keys to your safe...
It would help if google blanked out sensitive installations
banning sensitive images is the correct option ! I'm with the Indian Govt. specifically A.P.J. Abdul kalam !
Just imagine, before google earth :only few people had access to sensitive info.
After Google Earth : millions of bad minds have access to sensitive info. = Our country in Danger !
Get this directly into ur minds people !
Perhaps the pictures are not real?? Now you have told the world they are real...how stupid are you?? PERHAPS... if you had not posted it and jumped the gun you could be responsible for the destruction of your own launch pads. You are probably one of the Indians who deny that 5,000 brides are burnt and killed each year in INDIA because they were not virgins or perhaps their DOWRY was not large enough>>>?? Leave GOOGLE ALONE !!! Take care of your 1.2 billion people.
Did u guys know that highly sensitive areas in the US (military establishments, missile bases, etc) have been blackened out by Google .. why not apply the same policy to all other nations ?
its d same for everybody .. if suppose pakistan can c our highly classified snaps so can v . in dis era of modern technology everything is available u just hav 2 pay so even if u stop google earth its no use sum oder company mite cum up offering dese pics . so v gonna ban dem also ?????????????
I strongly support that the sesetive area's displayed by google earth should not be available to public.
It is a threat to Security for Indiviual & country . Goole should be BAN by our country . Those who say its a boon , i ask them If Google dont display white house details ?? Why the hell Indian Parliament
I feel google earth and similar websites who provide the actual satellite pics has to be banned. I have seen one site which is open for all and we can see the latest satellite pics of even our own houses or roofs. The security is a real concern in this case. Its a easy tool for any terrorist organization to plan the attacks.
This kind of sites has to be strictly banned.
I feel that Google earth is a boon.Terrorists existed and executed their plans even before existance of Google earth. Instead of blaming third parties, Government and miltitary should take action against these terrorist.
It is always better to hide the secrets (in any way), Because see, Google is not an indian company, suppose Govt. of India asks Google to black sensitive portions of india. Than who knows Google will sell it event in higher cost to our enemy., Knowing exactly what are the probalbe target for india.
also it is an American company and map of USA is also available ? How they are defending themselves.
Its every country's right to protect their military bases and sensitive areas. Its of no concern to any other nations; if we are so concerned about technology of google earth, lets enjoy harmoniously,a lay man surely don'nt require meticulous details of airbase or military details & arrangements. Dr. Nair has every right to raise his voice over this issue, Google needs to act responsibly. When they can black out US's sensitive spots why can'nt they do it to other nations? When there is a chance of wrong people expoiling the info, why can'nt we take preventive measures before something really big happens?
Yeah, cover the areas up, another win for the terrorists! Idiots. The terrorists dont need pin point info on targets, all they need is a basic map with rough locations then they can use their eyes! its the old way of map reading, very useful. I dont think theyll be using any bomber aircraft or ballistic missiles.
I don't find any reason why Mr G M Nair picks voice over it now. Google has been putting this imaes from since last 6 months. And to everyone's concern is why the Indian intellignce and Defence officals hadn't approached to this issue. It would have been taked right when United States themselves forced Google to block sencitive places to appear in the google earth.
Its a sencitive issue for the national security of every country and Google has no way to ignore this . I think its more important to our Defence officials and our Govt. how they apply tactic and put pressure on them.
It should be blocked.There is nothing more important than national security.Public really dont need this information.If public really wanna know where there tax money goes,better try digging up information about civil projects which they have right to get. But sadly nobody cares about it.
It should be noted that, only sensitive areas ought to be blurred or darkened.. And those who are saying that there are other methods to monitor, well, we could try and plug as many loopholes we possibly can, google included. In the end, its all about how much we can possibly prevent. Also some people say its useful to find exact places in cities.."sector 31-c in chandigarh" for example, those should definitely be shown..remember only SENSITIVE areas.. And if people want to know where the tax money goes, then why do we want to possibly harm ourselves by exposing it to everyone..Security also requires tax money and this is definitely a security measure we are talking about.
Folks, it only costs about Rs 15,000 per square kilometre to buy high resolution maps. Buying maps of an area is far cheaper than bombing it. That Google is giving it away free is not a big deal. Nothing's achieved by arm twisting them.
Besides, remember, censoring Google is only a step in the slippery slope to censoring any sort of free speech in India. We don't want to encourage further progress towards becoming a police state.
I am not concerned of big countries or organisations using these images..they can get it anyway...Its the petty terrorists who are more dangerous. For example, how many of u know the exact location of ISRO's launch pad in sriharikota? The common man wouldn't know it, but now its all out there on google earth. I consider that dangerous info open to the public. One attack on those launch pads will cripple our entire space program. It takes 10 years to build those fully functional launch pads.
Those who actually have enough resources to attack India (bombs, missiles etc.) have enough resources to buy satellite images too. By not allowing common people to see it you are only stopping information flow. Criminals dont rely on Google for information. In India everything can be bought.
well lets not speculate anything. Are you very sure you can get high resolution images for 15K ? from where??
If this is true then I think India should better bother about securing the sensitive area and things, say by painting and positioning Aircrafts so that their numbers etc are not visible. Building proper hangers for fighter aircrafts. Its like you can not shutdown internet because thousands are viruses floating around, better build robust firewalls. What is Indian defence getting paid for? work and comeup with solutions rather than attacking the source, ignorance can not be a solution. Since something not shown on google map will be more secure is totally an absurd asumption, India should learn to secure and defend assuming the worst case scenario and not the ideal favourable conditions.
?Knowledge? is similar to a sharp knife. In skilful hands with right intentions it can do lot of "Good", with the wrong hands with wrong intentions, it can be equally bad.
Google earth is a product of such ?Knowledge?, so it should always be in the right hands. It is too sharp to be left unsupervised, leaving free access to evil forces.
Even without a tool like Google Earth, the devils can do their acts, but with freely accessible tools it will only help them do their evil acts much easier.
I strongly believe Google Earth should be controlled.
I think Security of our country is of Primary importance,blocking the satellite images of areas of high security concern should pose no threat to the popularity of Google Earth.Its not beneficial to be too informative when security is at stake.Moreover, why to initiate the process of being disclosed with one's own consent when it can be curbed.
hari,u idiot!! man it is one of the best softwares to be launched in ta last year..!! an as for spyin tat is totally stupid!! seems like i shud be askin u where are ur brains dude??
You have to understand one thing, Nair is not saying that the whole software should be banned. He is saying the sensitive areas should be removed from the system, which should be done immediately.
Hey Punk,What aravind sayed is applicable.Google can make something for those sensitive areas like covering those spots with a rectangle and labeling it.I Think To know where these places are located is sufficient.Nothing to do with the parking arrangement of flights or trains for most of us.Isnt it?
You mean that the google earth is dangerous
for our country. Ok something is ok but google earth is very useful in see the entire map of the city virtually.ex I want to go chandigarh sector 31-C. I first track the Place on the google earth and assuming where to go.So it is helpful in this manner.
No big deal ! I bet info on every indian secret is already in the hands of CIA & chinese agency's.Anyone can be bribed here.why bother about satilite images, when national secret's are smugled out by top officials on usb stick's ?
The threat is not that much from CIA or China in present day context, but from terrorists and naxalites who may use it to attack sensitive sites through suicide attacks. In fact, google earth even showed my house with pinpoint accuracy.
This type of activity is creating a big problem for our nation, and It is mandatory for the google earth team that it do not display such sensitive areas of the India like AF Station or defence headquaters.