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Apple Maps Accidentally Reveals Secret Military Base In Taiwan
redletterdave writes "After one Taiwanese newspaper snapped and printed a satellite photo of a top-secret military base from the new Maps application running on an iPhone 5, the defense ministry of Taiwan on Tuesday publicly requested Apple blur the sensitive images of the country's classified military installations. The top-secret radar base, located in the northern county of Hsinchu, contains a highly-advanced ultra-high-frequency long-range radar that military officials say can detect missiles launched as far away as the city of Xinjiang, which is located in northwest China. The radar system was obtained via U.S.-based defense group Raytheon in 2003, and is still being constructed with hopes to be completed by the end of this year. 'Regarding images taken by commercial satellites, legally we can do nothing about it,' said David Lo, the spokesman of Taiwan's defense ministry, in a statement to reporters. 'But we'll ask Apple to lower the resolution of satellite images of some confidential military establishments the way we've asked Google in the past.'"
They found it when they were actually searching for the nearest Burger King in Gary, Indiana.
Slight correction, Xinjiang is a province not a city. And a very lovely part of the country to visit.
The images of a base showed up, so they gave everyone the specs and capabilities of the radar system in their request to hide the base again? That doesn't seem very clever.
"Dear Google, we see you're showing images of Area 51. This is the base where we hide all the alien corpses and spacecraft we've collected over the years, so we'd really appreciate it if you blur the aerial photography. Thanks!"
Silly Taiwanese people. You don't request Apple for anything. You beg. You pray. You hope. But you DON'T speak to The Apple unless spoken to by The Apple. Commoners!
My guess is that the mainline Chinese already know all about it. I wouldn't sweat it.
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
Well, if the hardware is made in Chine, what makes anybody think they are not using Chinese developers as well. Perhaps was not so accidental.
A country that would have to force a company in another, much more powerful country. Any attempt to lean on Apple must consider the possibility of angering the US government.
C - the footgun of programming languages
I think google may have beaten them to it
According to this article, the images are even clearer in google maps
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3477836/taiwan-radar-defense-system-apple-ios-6-maps-complaint
Watch those corners
"Wants to know what building on the base would be the best target to drive his truck loaded with explosives into" does not necessarily require "has the capability to launch spy satellites"
Everything is better with chainsaws.
At least Apple Maps revealed something that was actually there.
Headline makes it sound like Apple made some sort of error and gave aid and comfort to an enemy... somewhere.
The base happens to be there in a photo. Owners of base are asking for it to be blurred. Your slow news day will now come to a close. (cue national anthem)
if taiwan declares war on the US because a US corporation violated their national security, it would open the floodgates...
china: "mmm fung pei! finally we have excuse... prepare 10,000 nuclear missiles for launch, and prepare our 1,000,000,000 soldiers to finish them off"
russia: "quickly, follow the chinese because all our stuff is a bit rusty so let them take the brunt... long live the mighty Soviet Union!"
iran: "quick lets fuck up israel while the US is busy"
north korea: "ahh harrow!... taiwan decrare war on US infidels... rets just rob a few terrorists over the pacific whire they're distracted"
us: "aaw crap!"
Apple is going to offer a new section on the App store called "Apps for Spys"...
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
In other news, a giant art sculpture designed to be visible from space located in the northernmost reaches of Siberia is mysteriously blurry when viewed from the latest satellite photography through Apple's new maps application.
Why? You'd figure those who want clear pictures of the installation for "nefarious" purposes has the means to obtain them.
It's under construction, so maybe it's partly a request to keep things blurred going forward to conceal progress and the final look.
William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
Is it me, or is blurring/removing something from these maps the absolute ideal way to tell the entire world: "There's something really important to someone here."
I can see the conversation now. "How do I get to the Secret Base?" -- "Take a left and follow the road until it disappears on your map, then you're there."
True, but given the station was created by an American DoD contractor, the US might not want the images visible either. Especially if they use the same technology.
If I'm a terrorist and I have a truck loaded with explosives, I don't think I'm going to drive said truck onto a military base and try to blow up a radar system. You have to match capability with intent.
There are plenty of high profile targets to choose from, without hitting a hardened military installation. And as I've mentioned earlier, anyone with the capability AND the reason to do anything about the radar installation already has access to satellite imagery that far surpasses that of Maps.
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
I am guessing that Taiwan is worried about China. But I bet they very well know that China does not depend on Apple/Google maps. China probably has a much higher resolution pic of the base and few dudes already working within the base as well. Therefore, the nature of worry is just akin to Cheney's worry about his property on google maps and his hallucinations that Russians have locked on to his property's coordinates by looking at Google earth.
I think google may have beaten them to it. According to this article, the images are even clearer in google maps
They are the same articles, in that they say the same thing, FT original A::
"Oddly enough, images of the base appear clearer when viewed through Google Maps"
Which google was asked to blur, as mentioned by both articles.
please, it is not the 1960's anymore and nobody really buys that whole 'enemy going to launch tonight if we fail to show absolute strength'
More likely that Taiwan wants to have more Apple plants built there and does not want to piss them off
Wherever You Go, There You Are
after all of that.
And then France is all "Fire le missles!"
"But I am le tired."
"Well then have a nap. THEN FIRE LE MISSLES"
The enemies of Democracy are
No problem. The correct location of the base will never be found.
Have gnu, will travel.
But sir, do we surrender before or after we file the missiles?
Learn to love Alaska
It's more likely that Iran not North Korea would use the word "infidels" , but I am trying to fix a really bad joke here..
I agree. The spokesman says "legally we can do nothing about it," but Taiwan is a country, for crying out loud!
There is something called "international law" that applies to acts between countries.
North Korea has perfected the art of tunnelling, and covering up what is going on from eyes in the sky. They need not worry about satellites photographing their secret places. Is that better or worse for us? Richard
silence!... i kill you!
detonate le warheads and then fire le missiles of course
enemy going to launch tonight if we fail to show absolute strength
funny... sounds like the foundation of current US foreign and defense policy to me
It's ludicrous to think that China was unaware of this base.
Damage is done, it is not a secret anymore.
Be seeing you...
But sir, do we surrender before or after we file the missiles?
That is a tired such a tired joke.
Of 125 major European wars since 1495, the French have fought in 50, more than Austria (47) and England (43).
Out of a total 168 battles since 387BC, they won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.
-- Stephen Fry, QI season 6 episode 5.
Not bad for a bunch of surrender monkeys. Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies. If you occupants of the Anglo Saxon cultural bubble want to call anybody a bunch of 'Surrender Mokeys' it's us Germans. We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
Only to idiots, are orders laws.
-- Henning von Tresckow
All US installations abroad are secondhand and obsolete.
Can I light a sig ?
did anyone notice that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_map_images_with_missing_or_unclear_data lists all these sites, and for instance bing maps also show them unblurred?
http://binged.it/TzUX8b
http://binged.it/TzVG9k
http://binged.it/T7LC1Y
http://binged.it/T7LHmx
That is a tired such a tired joke.
Not only is worn out, but the irony seems to be lost on Americans who don't exactly have the best record in winning wars (Korea, Vietnam, Iraq twice an Afghanistan). And the biggest single victory in US military history (against England) was because they were saved by the French.
We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
And you just surrendered a 3rd time :-)
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
>We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
At least Germany put up a good fight in both cases.
And you can point to the applicable law? Color me doubtful.
Just another day in Paradise
Not bad for a bunch of surrender monkeys. Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies. If you occupants of the Anglo Saxon cultural bubble want to call anybody a bunch of 'Surrender Mokeys' it's us Germans. We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
Understand that we are not actually calling French surrender monkeys because we felt they surrendered. In reading books on WW2, although we called the French many things as the war went on, I have not seen that they surrendered come up as an issue during the war. Instead, it is just a cheap shot because of post war politics. It was mostly Charles De Gaulle and France's insults to the US and Britain that set things off. Post war France was determined to be a superpower again and burned a lot of bridges in the attempt. De Gaulle thought that the USSR would win the cold war so broke out of NATO, developed the bomb and ignored testing treaties we had worked out with the USSR, insulted Britain by claiming they were not a nuclear country but just got the bomb from the US, invaded Algeria, and generally conducted a lot of adventurism trying to re-establish themselves as a superpower on the level of the US which led to a lot of bad feelings. After helping to free their country and giving it back to them unconditionally, it was sore spot to have them blatantly insult those who had helped them. Thus, the bit about surrendering and speaking German were just easy attacks to make.
Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies.
Well and to be frank any nation on earth would have ended up surrendering if they were in the situation of having a long land border with Germany at the start of that war. Nobody was ready for Blitzkrieg and the only reason the UK and US weren't in the same boat as France is because they were protected by the English Channel and the Atlantic freaking Ocean respectively.
The enemies of Democracy are
And you can point to the applicable law? Color me doubtful.
Exactly.
There is no law that applies to this situation, which is why they said, "legally we can do nothing about it..."