Slashdot Mirror
Spy Chief Hints At Limits On Satellite Photos
An anonymous reader writes "Vice Adm. Robert Murrett, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, says that the increasing availability of commercial satellite photos may require the government to restrict distribution. 'I could certainly foresee circumstances in which we would not want imagery to be openly disseminated of a sensitive site of any type, whether it is here or overseas,' he said. This would include imagery on Web sites such as Google Earth, because the companies that supply the photos get help from the NGIA with launches." I had never heard of this particular intelligence agency. During the early months of the invasion of Afghanistan they bought up all satellite imagery over that country, worldwide, in a tactic later dubbed "checkbook shutter control."
you can be jailed for going over the speeding limit by 20 mph, there are more cameras than people, its illegal to own GPS recievers that tell you where the speeding cameras are, new speeding cameras that identify individual cars and time you over long distances to see if you broke the average speeding limit, and now they're going to watch your every single move from the A4 and thru London, and send you a smegging bill.
I'd rather live in the US than in England.
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
What they are concerned about, of course, is not Google Maps and static data like that. They are very concerned about these foreign concerns sharing near-real-time tactical information, i.e. there's a brigade camped out at Lat xx, Long xx. and they have 4 tanks. This would permit active use in targeting and attack planning our troops.
The US are perfectly justified in using any means possible to deny the enemy this information. Of course, our allies will refuse to supply it, if they do not they are not our allies but are aiding the enemy. If they can't talk them into not sharing it, they will try to buy it, but if they can't or the operators refuse, they are perfectly legitimate targets and can and should be taken out. And it's certainly feasible to do so.
This isn't some sort of Goddamn game, we are talking about our troops lives here.
Brett