Proposed Law Would Require Google to Blur Buildings to Thwart Terrorists   - 797 Views, 7 Comments

Summary: Legislators in California - that state of the eternal budget crisis - have decided that it's a good idea to spend money trying to force Google to blur Google Maps images of what are known as "soft targets" for terrorists, such as schools, churches, hospitals, and government buildings, to protect them against terrorist attacks. Because you know, terrorists can't find an address without Google Maps.

Previous Article « Criminal Defendant Ordered to Decrypt Own Hard Drive
Read Next Article » What “Lorem Ipsum Dolor” Actually Means

  Follow Anne on Twitter     Friend Anne on Facebook

Legislators in California - that state of the eternal budget crisis - have decided that it’s a good idea to spend money trying to force Google to blur Google Maps images of what are known as “soft targets” for terrorists, such as schools, churches, hospitals, and government buildings, to protect them against terrorist attacks.

Because you know, terrorists can’t find an address without Google Maps.

The California legislator sponsoring the bill, San Diego Republican Joel Anderson, says that he decided to draft the bill “after reading reports suggesting that terrorists used online map imagery to plan attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere.”

Even the average schoolchild knows how to find an address online, and how to look it up on a map. Why Anderson thinks that “blurring images” in Google Maps will in any way thwart terrorist attacks on these “soft targets” is a mystery.

“All I’m trying to do is stop terrorists. I don’t want California to be helping map out future targets for terrorists,” said Anderson.

Responded Google, “We are happy to speak with Assemblyman Anderson regarding this legislation and hope to have a productive conversation. Google Maps and Google Earth provide users with a rich, immersive experience, offering useful information and enabling greater understanding of a specific location or area.”

The law, if passed, would require images of schools, churches, hospitals and government buildings to be blurred, and companies who violate the law would be fined up to $250,000 per day for so long as the unblurred image remained online.

Oh..wait, maybe that’s why the financially-strapped state is looking at spending the bucks on passing such a law.

Proposed Law Would Require Google to Blur Buildings to Thwart Terrorists

 Follow Anne on Twitter

 Twitter Explained in Plain English

 Friend Anne on Facebook

Previous Article « Criminal Defendant Ordered to Decrypt Own Hard Drive
Read Next Article » What “Lorem Ipsum Dolor” Actually Means

Read more:

»  Criminal Uses Google Maps to Steal Roofs Off Buildings

»  Craiglist Sued for Being World’s Biggest Pimp

»  Proposed Law Would Require Cell Phone Cameras to Make “Click” Sound

»  Invasion of Privacy Lawsuit Against Google Street View Van Dismissed

For additional similar stories check out our archives on Google, Internet Law

NOTE: We never, ever, ever will recommend any product or service on this site that we have not regularly used ourselves and do not wholeheartedly believe in. That said, in some cases after being very pleased with a product or service, we may enter into a relationship with the provider of that product or service such that if someone purchases that product or service based on our recommendation, we may get a small payment. Such payments go towards the upkeep of the Internet Patrol.

 

7 Comments »

  1. Well surely if you blur the areas of interest to terrorists; does that not point out the areas of interest to them, how very silly these guys and Joel Anderson will dissapear up their own rear end out of fear of their own shadow, a terrorists are not always learned people and have in the past attacked establishments without the so called use of the internet - for example take what the IRA have been upto since the 60’s onward no Google Earth in those days was there just plain hormonal thirst to kill - why not try using your head and find out what makes them tick and reason with them in other words do as you would have done onto you and that means get your arse out of the Isralie camp and stop backing their “Hitler look-a-like attacks on the Muslim” comunities in Gaza etc.
    TAKE AWAY THEIR REASON FOR WANTING TO KILL YOU!

    Comment by Bunny — 3/10/2009 @ 1:56 am

  2. Bunny, “Take Away their REASON for wanting to KILL you?” They have no reason, they don’t need a reason.

    I agree with you about the stupidity and waste of time of this proposal. Why not just remove the building altogether, then they won’t know that it is there, right?

    Comment by Jim — 3/10/2009 @ 7:42 am

  3. Like they need Google Maps to find the Transamerica Pyramid.

    Comment by Robin — 3/10/2009 @ 9:08 am

  4. Jim “They have no reason, they don’t need a reason”?? Me thinks your just a little head in the air are you not, now your not so silly as to not realise that if you send explosives in to the homes of people blowing up their family and children they will be more than a little vengefull about this - well wouldn’t you - oh no sorry I forgot you already are from the sound of your beligerance towards them and yet it was not your family that has suffered - I would say you need a pill of reason and then take a look at the fact that hatred begets hatred and it is not you or I who will be on the receiving end of this stupidity but our children and our childrens children.

    Comment by Bunny — 3/11/2009 @ 2:13 pm

  5. Oh and let’s not forget G.Bay and the Nazi camp of toture set up there for those who have not been tried in a court of law never mind all the others, you can not toture and kill people without the same being done back to you - what goes around comes around!

    Comment by Bunny — 3/11/2009 @ 2:23 pm

  6. If terrorists are indeed relying on Google Maps to find a given address, it’s probably a Good Thing - every address I’ve looked up (including my own) has been at least a block off.

    And Bunny - what does your semi-literate personal tirade have to do with the subject of this story?

    Comment by Mike — 3/15/2009 @ 2:53 pm

  7. Clearly Mike you live in a world of Hubble Bubble reality - do you get me. Ah, oh no you wouldn’t would you to thick obviously, you can’t read or you wouldn’t be asking the question.

    “your semi-literate personal tirade” I am nither semi-literate nor carrying out a personal tirade I happen to belive that killing and toture for the sake of it is wrong and the subject matter is about “Proposed Law Would Require Google to Blur Buildings to Thwart Terrorists” and if you could read you would have seen my reply was to Jim and his comment but you seem to have another agenda which is very obviously to avoid the points raised here.

    BTW Google is not always a block off and what the hell does that have to do with anything stick to the point any terrorist would have a map of his own if google were not available so blocking out buildings or whatever would be very silly. A bit like you!

    Comment by Bunny — 3/16/2009 @ 4:06 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

Warning! All comments which contain URLs and are clearly just spam to generate a link back to the URL will be deleted on sight. Don't bother wasting your time!

If you are going to include a URL in your comment,
please keep it under 25 characters in length,
or use TinyURL to shorten it before including it in your comment.

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic, your email address is never displayed.
HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

(required)

(required)


If you have not posted a comment here before, we apologize for having to ask you to enter the letters and numbers you see in the image above to validate your comment, but we are being attacked by thousands of comment form spams every day! You only need to do this once; once you have successfuly posted a comment here you will not be asked to do this again. Thank you for your understanding!

 
 This article first appeared on 3/9/2009
The Internet Patrol
Patrolling the Internet for You!