Report: JFK terror plotters used Google Earth

One of the four terror suspects in an alleged plot to blow up fuel tanks and a gas pipeline at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport recommended Google Earth as a way to obtain detailed aerial photographs, according to a court complaint obtained by The Smoking Gun.

The "JFK plot" made headlines on Saturday when U.S. officials announced that they had charged four men, one of whom remains at large, in a nascent plot to target fuel tanks and a gas pipeline at the high-traffic airport. The court document in question describes a May 11 meeting in Guyana, in which one of the four defendants, Abdul Kadir, said that the surveillance video they had "was not sufficiently detailed for operational purposes, and told them to use Google Earth software to get more detailed pictures of JFK after they returned to New York."

According to a statement from Google on Monday, the search and information giant has "paid close attention to concerns that Google Earth creates new security risks." Additionally, it's willing to be cooperative. "Google takes security concerns very seriously, and is always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials. Our experience is that security concerns can best be addressed through dialog with the relevant governmental experts." The statement then cited U.S. government studies that determined that the benefits of making imaging data (like the images found on Google Earth) publicly available outweigh the risks, and that the government can likewise limit availability if it chooses to.

The Google statement pointed out that while Google Earth might be one of the most popular and accessible sources of detailed aerial views, it's by no means the only one. "The imagery visible on Google Earth and Google Maps is not unique: commercial high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery of every country in the world is widely available from numerous sources," the release read. "Indeed, anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information. Accordingly, we expect security concerns to be addressed primarily by the companies and governmental agencies that gather and distribute the images."

That's true, but Google Earth and other online satellite mapping databases certainly do make it easier for a would-be terrorist to obtain such maps anonymously. Prior to the availability of services like Google Earth, it would've been tough to get your hands on satellite imagery without asking for it--and potentially drawing attention to yourself if you were asking for aerial views of something like an airport.

[phillynets]

Did they communicate with Yahoo, MSN or GMAIL?

What about the Yellow Pages? Did they obtain sensitive information with Superpages.com? Terrorists need to eat too. Maybe they bought their batteries from Radio Shack?

Was the local pizza place in their Five? Let's blame them too...

If they didn't use Google Earth I am sure AAA would have helped them find JFK - NY Traffic can be a little undaunting for some.

[csven]

Vile.

But it's a good thing we've outlawed that camera technology stuff. Imagine being able to buy a small box, push a button, and record images onto photosensitive material which can be processed and printed to create images showing public locations. Truly vile.

[LarryLo]

Quickly Shut DOWN the Tubes!!

Lest more people use Google earth for this sort of evil deeds...and Who knows what they will do with Google Street view!

Run while you can!

;)

[robbtuck]

Seriously....

All these cool services and tools are nice and handy, and by themselves aren't doing anything bad, but taken as a whole they're making things a lot easier for people to do extensive research and planning anonymously. In the big picture, where should the balance be between free information and security?

[Dalkorian]

consider this

Without free information you have no security, only more
dangerous criminals because they are suddenly running the
government.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little
security will deserve neither and lose both."
- Benjamin Franklin

[Madinat]

old school

better get rid of ALL those maps! with the crackdown on technology, the terrorists will resort to doing things the old fashioned way at the library! God save us all!!!

[johnrover]

be very afraid

"I bet they used pencils, gasoline, and tape, too -- let's all be scared of that stuff, while we're at it."

?Xeni Jardin on boing boing

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/05/google_street_view_a.html