Terrorists use Google Earth to plan attacks
British troops in Iraq find satellite maps in insurgent safehouses; precise geographic coordinates inadvertently assist America’s enemies; governments continue to negotiate with Google over coverage
Among the sites that cannot be viewed on Google Earth, the search company’s popular satellite mapping system, is the Vice President’s residence at the National Observatory in Washington, D.C.(The White House, strangely enough, is easily seen.) In fact, governments worldwide have worked closely with Google to encourage them to omit or blur all manner of sensitive sights — mainly military bases and certain critical infrastructure. One place that might need more of this type of consideration is Iraq, where insurgents (or “terrorists,” if you prefer) have apparently been using the system to pinpoint their attacks on coalition forces.
According to reports from British troops in Basra, documents seized recently at an insurgent safehouse uncovered Google Earth printouts showing the detail of a British army base, including bunkhouses, lavatory blocks, and parking lots. Another printout of the Shatt al Arab Hotel, presently home to 1,000 British soldiers, included the camp’s precise longitude and latitude. “This is evidence as far as we are concerned for planning terrorist attacks,” said an intelligence officer with the Royal Green Jackets battle group. “Who would otherwise have Google Earth imagery of one of our bases? We have never had proof that they have deliberately targeted any area of the camp using these images but presumably they are of great use to them.”
-read more in Thomas Harding’s Telegraph report
