Hype or a threat

via Jack Grant
Google Earth A Security Risk

Online maps are a big deal in more ways than one: the Dutch are the latest to raise security concerns over Google Earth, saying the images of government buildings, airports and ports could aid terrorist attacks. This follows similar statements from the US military in Iraq and calls from Australia for Google to censor images of nuclear reactors and other sites. Google already blurs images of some buildings, like the US Capitol, but a spokesman for the Australian attorney general's office says the satellite images have been reviewed and pose no security threat, as they're already in the public domain and available elsewhere. If a terrorist is sufficiently motivated to mount an attack and want satellite photos, they're going to get them with or without Google Earth. To shut it down over security concerns would mean preventing any useful or helpful applications of the technology too.