Google's eyes in the sky

by Charlie Edwards

I've just finished reading a fascinating paper on Google Earth by the Open Source Centre. Google Earth came online in 2006 and had an instant impact.  Some Demos researchers spent lunchtimes whizzing through Antarctica or hunting for Chinese submarines.*  Sometimes we even got so far as to create mashups of useful information. But Google Earth also opened wide a window on places and events that five years ago only spies could see - and this made some government's very very nervous.

According to the OSC there have been five main responses to the “Google threat” from states: negotiations with Google, banning Google products, developing a similar product, taking evasive measures, and nonchalance (sometimes states do all five). 

According to the OSC Al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen exploded four car bombs in a failed attack with the aid of Google Earth in September 2006, while in January 2007 it was reported that terrorists attacking British bases in Basra were using Google Earth imagery. This led to Google taking the rare step of replacing the images of military positions with others taken before the war.

Soon after Google began to blot out British bases in Iraq and other sensitive UK installations such as the eavesdropping base at Cheltenham and the Trident nuclear submarine pens in Faslane, Scotland.

So what should governments do?

One answer comes from the unlikely source of the Chinese military journal, in which Qi Mingming suggets that.. in the present era of information sharing on the Internet, when protection by corresponding laws and regulations is lacking, stifling Google Earth is obviously not only out of keeping with the times but is also unnecessary and baseless.

That doesn't mean of course goverments and citizens won't counter the eyes in the sky. Below are ten places that have been blurred out since Google Earth hit our screens..
  1. The White House: Google Maps' images of the White House show a digitally erased version of the roof in order to obscure the air-defense and security assets that are in place.
  2. The U.S. Capitol: The U.S. Capitol has been fuzzy ever since Google Maps launched. Current versions of Google Maps and Google Earth show these sites uncensored, though with old pictures.
  3. Dick Cheney's House: The Vice President's digs at Number One Observatory Circle are obscured through pixelation in Google Earth and Google Maps at the behest of the U.S. government. However, high-resolution photos and aerial surveys of the property are readily available on other Web sites.
  4. Soesterberg Air Base, in the Netherlands: This Dutch air-force base and former F-15 base for the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War can't be seen via Google Maps.
  5. Leeuwarden, Netherlands: This Dutch city is one of the main operating bases of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, part of NATO's Joint Command Centre and one of three Joint Sub-Regional Commands of Allied Forces Northern Europe. Leeuwarden is also one of two regional headquarters of Allied Command Europe, headed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
  6. Novi Sad: This military base in Serbia is off-limits.
  7. Kamp van Zeist: Kamp van Zeist is a former U.S. Air Force base that was temporarily declared sovereign territory of the U.K. in 2000 in order to allow the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial to take place.
  8. Ramstein Air Base in Germany: Ramstein Air Base figures prominently in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. It's the home of the 86th Airlift Wing and headquarters of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. It is also a NATO installation. Americans, Canadians, Germans, British, French and other nationalities comprise the base's population.
  9. The Royal Stables in The Hague, Netherlands: A division of the Civil Household, the Royal Stables arranges transport for the members of the Royal House and the Royal Household.
  10. Huis Ten Bosch Palace: This address is one of the four official residences of the Dutch Royal Family, also located in The Hague, Netherlands. Queen Beatrix has lived here since 1981.

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