Will Osama use Google Earth against us?
In the wrong hands, could Google Earth become a weapon of mass destruction?
That question has been floated in the aftermath of last week's FBI apprehension of four suspects charged with attempting to explode oil pipelines at New York's John F. Kennedy airport.
Osama bin Laden
(Credit: FBI)
At a press conference announcing three of the the arrests, FBI officials said one of the plotters, Abdul Kadir, directed his associates to consult Google aerial images of Kennedy Airport as they went about their planning. Inevitably, this raised questions about
This isn't the first time we've heard that complaint. A few months after Google Earth's summer 2005 debut, the commander of India's military triggered a mini-firestorm when he criticized the satellite imaging program as a security risk. Government officials in South Korea and Russia expressed similar misgivings.
The plotters may not be the brightest bulbs in the firmament. Still, they believed that Google's aerial and satellite photographs would make their jobs easier. But before some yahoo (lower case "y," thank you) in Washington starts screaming at the top of his or her lungs for a crackdown, consider a few facts. The U.S. government can prevent licensed satellites from filming sites because of national security. It also requires a day's delay before the service can transmit high-resolution images. (So rest assured, if we want to move troops to the border and invade Mexico in retaliation for the Miss Universe Pageant, no problemo.)
If you want to point the finger of blame at something, why not single out cellular phones? After all, the terrorists responsible for the March 2004 Madrid bombings relied on mobile phones to carry out their attacks.
Fact is that the American technology monopoly is history. What with more countries launching their own satellites, there are more eyes in the sky than ever. How do you control that? The simple answer is you can't. Obviously, Google Earth is not the core problem. The challenge is the screwed up age in which we live.
Charles Cooper has covered technology and business for more than 25 years. Before joining CNET News, he worked at the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie. 
get that bastard after 9-11.
We were able to find one ********* hiding in a spider hole in the
middle of a desert and have him HUNG, so why can't we find
another one running around on top of a mountain?
Google Earth isn't the problem, the current administration is.
sightseeing tours and get better resolution shots that Google
Earth can provide with consumer cameras.
C|Net buys into the hype that a bitter old man with no means,
connections or weapons can realize a plan to do something
impossible - and with Google Maps, the impossible becomes
possible somehow.
What a nation of scared little wimps we've become.
Read my post again. It's the polar opposite of what you portray.
Terrorists are simply crazy people. There have always been crazy people, and there will always be crazy people. Get over it! If you chicken littles want to be 'safe', move to Montana or somewhare else just as sparsely populated. But get out of the way of the rest of us!
Mobile phones make dandy IED triggers. And don't forget about panel trucks, Timothy Mcveigh's weapon of choice. Can't have them in the hand of the public. Right.
The best thing we can do is quit worrying about common tools that can be misused. Heck, more kids drown in 5 gallon buckets each year than are killed by guns.
Instead of worrying about Google Earth, we need to
secure our borders and get a handle on who is entering this country.
even less are killed by false flag, state sponsored terrorism
"events". If I were a CIA asset, er, Al Qaeda member and couldn't
look at a Google map, there are still very effective old fashoined
ways of looking at things. Go there. Look around. Snap some
pictures. Then they could just don the fake nose and eyeglasses
bomb and you'd be good to go!
This epidemic of creating fear about everything is behind the lies
that generated the illegal waron Iraq.
Please grow up.
we keep concentrating on the results of terrorism or trying to
limit the tactics, we are setting oursleves up for long-term
failure. The only way we will achieve long-term success in this
battle is to concentrate our efforts on solving the issues that
drive them to terrorism. Establishing viable administrations in
the Middle East, Asia and Africa that accurately reflect the local
values and beliefs and are not western puppets are the only way
we will find success.
These people have modeled themselves after western military
and intelligence ideals which state that one must be persistant
and innovative. That means that for every tactic we take away
from them, they will find 5 as-good or better replacement
tactics. Whereas if we help eliminate what they percieve as their
justifications for violence then we will stop it before it starts.
- Concentrate on the cause
- by aslamnathoo June 5, 2007 4:51 AM PDT
- We are taking the wrong tact in our efforts to thwart terrorism. If
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(13 Comments)we keep concentrating on the results of terrorism or trying to
limit the tactics, we are setting ourselves up for long-term
failure. The only way we will achieve long-term success in this
battle is to concentrate our efforts on solving the issues that
drive them to terrorism. Establishing viable administrations in
the Middle East, Asia and Africa that accurately reflect the local
values and beliefs and are not western puppets are the only way
we will find success.
These people have modelled themselves after western military
and intelligence ideals which state that one must be persistent
and innovative. That means that for every tactic we take away
from them, they will find 5 as-good or better replacement
tactics. Whereas if we help eliminate what they perceive as their
justifications for violence then we will stop it before it starts.