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Google Earth Used By Terrorists In India Attacks
posted by lxnyce
on Monday December 01, @11:18AM
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from the shut-down-the-internet dept.
from the shut-down-the-internet dept.
All Points Blog references an article from Computer World which goes into more details about this. From the article : "The terrorists who attacked various locations in south Mumbai last week used digital maps from Google Earth to learn their way around, according to officials investigating the attacks.
Investigations by the Mumbai police, including the interrogation of one captured terrorist, suggest that the terrorists were highly trained and used technologies such as satellite phones, and global positioning systems (GPS), according to police."
Related Stories
Application Domains: Terrorism Mapping
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The Cartography blog introduces MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base interactive maps. From the blog: "Users can zoom in to an area of the world or a country and display terrorism activity along with population densities, transportation densities, satellite imagery, location of power plants, factories and mineral resources."
Application Domains: Google Earth and Terrorism 4 comments
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Slashdot discuss a story on Google Earth and its collateral damage. Their summary: "British news reports say insurgents are using Google Earth to pinpoint vulnerable targets within bases in Iraq. Could Google be doing more to prevent this? Should they be doing more? They certainly could explain more." From this article: "Documents seized during raids on the homes of insurgents last week uncovered print-outs from photographs taken from Google." Ogle Earth offers a long and pertinent analysis of the issue. From Ogle Earth: "Currently, images in Google Earth of Basra are from 2002, months before war. Up until a recent update, the images were likely from late 2004 and/or 2005."
New Google Earth/Map Imagery and Terrorism
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Since our readers like to know, the official Google blog informs us of the new imagery they added this week, and instead of riddles, here's where the new Google Earth / Maps imagery is: "[...] this release has mostly aerial (higher-resolution) data, as well as some medium-resolution imagery for large swaths of land. [...] 2.5m imagery for the entire countries of: Tunisia, UAE, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. [...] Updated Terrain: Canada (20m and 90m) and Niagara Falls" Regarding imagery in sensible areas, Ogle Earth has a discussion and a video on 'terrorist' using Google Earth to 'plan their attacks on the Israeli military'. You'll find in related stories below several discussions on terrorism and virtual globes.
Indian GPS Cartographers Charged As Terrorists
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There is a currently a disccusion on Slashdot about this. Here is their summary : "Following on from the discussion about Apple disabling GPS in Egyptian iPhones, we have a new case of the conflict between the traditional secrecy of government, and the widening availability of cheap, accurate GPS devices around the world. On 5th December, two software engineers employed by Biond Software in India were arrested for mapping highways using vehicle based GPS devices. Further evidence against the pair emerged when it was found that a laptop they had been using in the car contained some photos of the local airforce base. The company claims they had been commissioned by Nokia Navigator to create maps of local roads and terrain. Following an investigation by the Anti Terrorist Squad of Gujarat the cartographers have now been charged with violating the Official
Secrets Act and will remain in custody."
California Politican Thinks Blurred Online Maps Would Deter Terrorists 1 comment
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Slashdot runs a story named Calif. Politican Thinks Blurred Online Maps Would Deter Terrorists. Their summary: "California Assemblyman Joel Anderson plans to introduce a bill to force Google Earth and similar services to blur images of so-called 'soft targets' like schools, hospitals, churches and government buildings to protect them from terrorists. 'All I'm trying to do is stop terrorists,' said Anderson. 'I don't want California to be helping map out future targets for terrorists.' Concerns that detailed satellite imagery and photographs available on Web services could help terrorists plan attacks are not new, with reports that terrorists have used such imagery to carry out attacks in Iraq and Israel, and an Indian court is considering a ban on Google Earth following reports that its imagery played a part in the Mumbai terrorist attacks."
"Security expert Bruce Schneier recently wondered what other things legislators might consider banning to prevent terrorism: 'Bank robbers have long used cars and motorcycles as getaway vehicles, and horses before then. I haven't seen it talked about yet, but the Mumbai terrorists used boats as well. They also wore boots. They ate lunch at restaurants, drank bottled water and breathed the air,' wrote Schneier. 'Society survives all of this because the good uses of infrastructure far outweigh the bad uses, even though the good uses are — by and large — small and pedestrian and the bad uses are rare and spectacular.'"
Some related stories below.
Google Earth Used By Terrorists In India Attacks
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Interactive Map of Mumbai Terrorist Attack
(Score:2)( http://alexandreleroux.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Friday March 17, @05:07PM )
Off the map on the issue
(Score:2)( http://alexandreleroux.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Friday March 17, @05:07PM )
Petition against Google Earth!
(Score:2)( http://alexandreleroux.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Friday March 17, @05:07PM )
India’s Mapping Panic Continues
(Score:2)( http://alexandreleroux.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Friday March 17, @05:07PM )