Google Maps Security Threat?

-
From time to time, I will read in the media how some organization or other claims Google Maps as a security threat because it claims that the high resolution photos permit monitoring of troop movements and so forth.

I think this is untrue because when I look at the maps of areas I know, they are out of date - it appears by years, not days or weeks - since I fail to see more modern structures.

Here is a photo taken today from Google Maps which shows a park on the western tip of Montreal Island. As you can see, the trees are in full foliage. At the moment, the trees are bare and there is still some snow on the ground. In fact, this map has not changed in the year I have been monitoring it.

Comments

Ancilla said…
yupes. i tried to use it. and it is amazing to use it. since it really makes the world become more and more "small".

i do concern with the confidentiality and sort of things.
and i dont know that it is not live recorded...

have you check the other place?
April 15, 2007 2:41 AM
Barbara said…
The real question is whether any of the landmarks it represents have changed. I don't expect many Google maps change to depict changing seasons.
April 15, 2007 11:47 AM
Richard said…
ancilla: I have looked at my two homes (about 200 km apart), where I work and other places I know. The maps seem years out if date.

barbara: the context I usually hear concern raised is about being able to monitor troop movements or resource allocation. I doubt very much that google's Darfur project is going to present blow by blow pictures of the region either.
April 15, 2007 3:11 PM
B said…
Interesting. Makes one wonder if google maps are simply models, with miniature trees and skyscrapers and such! :)
April 15, 2007 4:02 PM
Mother of Invention said…
I think you're right...we're not at much risk here. Don't they (other countries)get a lot of info from satellites anyway?
April 15, 2007 5:33 PM
Richard said…
breal: erm ... probably not. Although, Google does have a sense of humour. I suggest you try finding a route from New York to Paris. If you read carefully, when you get to the Atlantic Ocean, it will tell you to swim.

MOI: not every country has satellites. Not every country shares their satellite or spy plane surveillance. I am not sure how much of a threat it is. Certainly it is not a real-time threat. I think it is like most things, a lot of loud hyperbole (and possibly deliberate deceit) to just make noise.
April 16, 2007 12:28 PM
KayMac said…
I just heard the New York to Paris directions read on the radio the other day. Gotta like a company w/ a sense of humor.
April 17, 2007 12:49 PM
Richard said…
kaymac: I tried out a number of different destinations. It only seems to work from North America to Europe.
April 20, 2007 9:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chinese Wisdom Concerning Money

-
[19September-2007 @ 17:11 EST: Revised preamble. This page still gets the most search hits: There is no Anthony de Croud. The e-mail is SPAM. I post things that pique my fancy at the moment. I like the 8 precepts, but the rest of the e-mail is junk. However, I thought it fair to post everything in its entirety. I did not write the e-mail. I did not forward the e-mail. I strongly encourage you not to forward it either. (I also encourage you to reply to whomever sent you the e-mail and tell them you don't appreciate getting junk mail.)] Received this in our e-mail (English translation follows): PRECEPTO CHINO SOBRE EL DINERO EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA CASA, PERO NO UN HOGAR, EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UN RELOJ, PERO NO EL TIEMPO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA CAMA, PERO NO EL SUEÑO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UN LIBRO, PERO NO EL CONOCIMIENTO. EL DINERO PUEDE PAGAR UN MÉDICO, PERO NO LA SALUD. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR UNA POSICIÓN, PERO NO EL RESPETO. EL DINERO PUEDE COMPRAR LA SANGRE, PERO
Read more

Of retirement and death

-
All I long for, all I have longed for for years is to retire (prior to wanting to retire, my ambition was to play). Given a chance not to work, I would take it. However, this is not because of laziness or some inherent trait of sloth. Rather it is because I want to pursue my own interests and ideas; I want to do my own thing. One of the saddest things I find in talking with people about not working (aside from obvious disapproval) is that they like working, they would get bored not working, after all, there is only so much TV one can watch. Hmmm ... a pretty sad comment I think. I have a mind full of ideas. There are lots of things which grab my interest, which distract me as I journey through life. Finding what I want to do is hard., because every week I can have a new thing I want to pursue. Some might argue that I am not disciplined. Definitely, I am a poor finisher - great starter, but lousy finisher. I believe I have found what my ideal job would be: owning and running an incubato
Read more

Half-and-half

-
Borrowing and modifying an idea from Ingrid , I present 14 bits of information about myself. Seven are real. Seven are false. This is also partially inspired by Carra 's post about weird things about herself. When I was into model rocketry, I used to roll my own rocket engines and make my own rocket fuel. I often had "catastrophic" engine failure. I have never been intoxicated. Not even a little bit "happy". I have had the privilege and pleasure of going out with women from every continent except Antarctica (for the obvious reason there are no indigenous Antarcticans). I volunteered one Christmas at a soup kitchen. I naively believed that such simple acts of generosity helped people over temporary setbacks until they could get back on their feet. The reality was these people were pretty wretched and needed far more than a ladled bowl of soup, a slice of turkey, some stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce to get them "over the hump". It was a sta
Read more