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Debunking the Google Earth Censorship Myth

Posted by timothy on from the just-what-they-want-you-to-think dept.

waderoush writes "There's a persistent Web meme to the effect that Google obscures sensitive or top-secret locations in Google Maps and Google Earth at the insistence of national governments. A July IT Security article promoted on Digg, 'Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren't Allowed to See on Google Maps,' revived this notion. But the article has been widely criticized, and I did some fact-checking this week on the six Boston-area locations mentioned in the IT Security list. As it turns out, not one of the allegedly blurred locations has degraded imagery in Google Maps, as my screen shots demonstrate. My post looks into the sources of the misleading IT Security piece, and of other mistaken rumors about Google Maps."

8 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. Blurry, no; pixelated hell yes by FlyByPC · · Score: 5, Informative

    Check out the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. Definitely pixelated -- but the cars just outside the circle are quite visible.

    ...Not that Mr. Cheney is the secretive sort. Perish the thought!

    --
    Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
    1. Re:Blurry, no; pixelated hell yes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      FWIW the Naval Observatory is blotted out in all satellite photos. It's my understanding that this is a "national security" requirement and (besides it being a no-fly zone) satellite and areal photography are required by federal law to obscure it. Since Google still buys most of these pictures from other people, I wouldn't blame Google for this one, per-say...

  2. Rye Playland by lpaul55 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Playland, the amusement park in Rye, New York, also shows up as blurred compared to the surrounding suburbs:
    http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.248722,4.43965&spn=0.3,0.3&t=k&q=52.248722,4.43965

    Cannot imagine why!

    --
    ... now back to the bit mines.
    1. Re:Rye Playland by ScrewMaster · · Score: 5, Funny

      Finally, we know the undisclosed location Cheney is always going to!

      I've always suspected it involved a handbasket.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  3. Re:So what about the other 45 locations? by Chrismith · · Score: 5, Informative
    I only looked at the first few locations on the list, but several of them were obviously blurred or pixelated -- the Naval Observatory in DC is a perfect blurry circle amid high-res imagery, and the Air Force Base listed as #4 looks like someone inserted a mosaic art piece over the image.

    Did this guy really not look at these locations? Those were in the top five, and there are links to the Google Maps locations in question, for crying out loud.

  4. Re:Digg? Inaccurate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean it's like Slashdot, if the concussed monkeys took up drinking.

  5. The Truth of it all is.... by Neffirithion · · Score: 5, Funny

    Post removed for being in violation of Patriot Act

  6. Ramstein airbase is whited out by ChrisCampbell47 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I discovered today that Ramstein airbase in Germany (hugely important to US) is "whited out". At first I just thought it was a really big building, then I thought white concrete surfacing. Finally I realized that it was blacked out, but they tried to make it look like it wasn't. They even threw in a a few fake aircraft and shadows, but didn't quite make it past the uncanny valley. It's just a matter of time until they perfect the fabrication of imagery for those locations.

    See for yourself; that ain't real.

    --
    One simple rule for its versus it's