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Google accused of spying on Israel
Mossad agents have it in for Google HQ
By Nick Farrell (http://javascript<b></b>:__doPostBack('article_body$lnkEmailForm','')): Friday 16 June 2006, 15:01
ord=Math.random();ord=ord*10000000000;http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/1181127/transparent_backup1x1.gif
THE ISRAELI government has accused the search engine Google of spying on military installations in the Promised Land.
It is not that Serge and Brin have been out there with their box brownies snapping the pictures of the nuclear weapons that the country doesn't have, it is more that Google Earth is now providing some jolly nice pictures of the country.
Originally sensitive to a nation which is more militarized than Ancient Sparta, Google had only previously shown low-resolutions snaps of Israel.
However, last week Google suddenly improved the service so that it matched the same standards that it has for the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, that means that you might see a French delivery of weapons-grade plutonium if there happened to be any being delivered, which there never is, of course.
One of the pictures is includes a top-secret power station located near the southern city of Ashkelon. It does not feature snaps of the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev desert, which Google knew about.
A SpokesGoogle said it was Israeli Internet users who demanded improvements to the service. The usual method for the Israelis of dealing with people who potentially reveal its secrets is to set a honey trap with a shapely Mossad agent, kidnap the spy, and force them to stand trial in Israel. We hope Serge and Brin are aware of that. µ
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32477
Gotcha, Google up to no good. :smug:
Dammit, I've been rumbled.... :o
Should have stuck with the Finns... :damn:
Dammit, I've been rumbled.... :o
Should have stuck with the Finns... :damn:
:rotfl: :rotfl:
TteFAboB
06-17-06, 05:42 PM
That's Google Earth for you.
I never understood why military facilities aren't removed from it. Who wants to see a Nuclear plant, a base or whatever from the sky?
You want to look and check how safe it is? Or how unsafe it is?
Wouldn't mind if the Mossad started a trend with Google to make them add a tiny bit of responsability to their service.
If they accept, like other search engines, to agree with Chinese censorship, I don't see why Google would bother removing Nuclear power plants and what not from the Google Earth per request. Replace the area with a big black box with the saying: "Nothing to see here, move along".
Classic.
In fact, I live in one of the high-res areas, I'd ask to have my home removed from Google Earth, but I was lucky enough to have the picture taken at a time of the day where my house is completely overshadowed by taller buildings to the East and West.
I wonder what's a possible defense from satellite spying. A giant mirror on the roof? A black roof? Camo nets?
I wonder what's a possible defense from satellite spying. A giant mirror on the roof? A black roof? Camo nets?
Grape vines.
The Noob
06-17-06, 07:05 PM
Who wants to see a Nuclear plant, a base or whatever from the sky?
Me!:x
If they accept, like other search engines, to agree with Chinese censorship, I don't see why Google would bother removing Nuclear power plants and what not from the Google Earth per request. Replace the area with a big black box with the saying: "Nothing to see here, move along".
Censorship sucks. I guess i don't have to Explain why. Who want's Censorship? Me don't!
In fact, I live in one of the high-res areas, I'd ask to have my home removed from Google Earth, but I was lucky enough to have the picture taken at a time of the day where my house is completely overshadowed by taller buildings to the East and West.
Why do you wanted your home removed from Google Earth? Do you frear the russians nuke you? LOL!
Who wants to see a Nuclear plant, a base or whatever from the sky?
Me!:x
Agreed. Who doesn't want to see this stuff?
Elementary psychology. Everyone wants to see anything that could remotely be labeled 'secret'.
The Noob
06-17-06, 10:05 PM
Elementary psychology. Everyone wants to see anything that could remotely be labeled 'secret'.
So What?:p
*Stares at German Airbase...:o*
:D
Yahoshua
06-17-06, 11:42 PM
Wow....first it's Yahoo complying to Chinese censorship.....now its Google posting photos of sensitive military installations.
Wouldn't this be technically assisting people who we don't want to help? LIke drug smugglers along the border, or a wonderful way to plan out terror aqttacks and memorize escape routes with much more accuracy than before?
I wonder if I can find Iraqi military bases with their sattelites?
TteFAboB
06-17-06, 11:54 PM
Who wants to see a Nuclear plant, a base or whatever from the sky?
Me!:x
Did you tried the measuring tools yet?
If they accept, like other search engines, to agree with Chinese censorship, I don't see why Google would bother removing Nuclear power plants and what not from the Google Earth per request. Replace the area with a big black box with the saying: "Nothing to see here, move along".
Censorship sucks. I guess i don't have to Explain why. Who want's Censorship? Me don't![/quote]
Yes, the point is: search engines like Google accepted to block any keywords the Chinese government tells them to.
You see, some "Free Tibet!" site is more dangerous than some user catching a forced-mass-abortion taking place or the Death Van on the roll. Apparently letting Google Earth spy the vastness of China is not a problem. Letting all the Google Earth Community funny remarks pop-up all over China also doesn't seem to be a problem. This software is full of "enemies of the people", but I better shup up before I give them any ideas.
Elementary Irony on my part.
Elementary blindness on the Chinese. (Blindness, that's another elementary irony)
In fact, I live in one of the high-res areas, I'd ask to have my home removed from Google Earth, but I was lucky enough to have the picture taken at a time of the day where my house is completely overshadowed by taller buildings to the East and West.
Why do you wanted your home removed from Google Earth? Do you frear the russians nuke you? LOL![/quote]
Not really, the thing is nobody asked me permission to take a picture of it.
I'd like to find out how this whole thing works, how much does it cost Google, whose satellite is it anyway?
If I knew my house was going to roughly appear on Google Earth I'd have taken the time to paint "Nuke HERE!" on the roof for some amusement. I wonder if they ever update the pictures, then I'd get a second chance.
But I still can't believe there isn't any gimmick to counter this. How about burning the satellite with some sort of laser beam? Grab that laser used to measure the distance to the Moon, convert it into a Death Ray, figure where the satellite is at the given time and fire. Yes? No?
How about the Giant Mirror again, if you could focus a beam of light back in the direction of the satellite when it's taking the picture, would that ruin the photo or at least put a big specular where the mirror is at?
I understand the military does the camo approach since it's useless to hide tank batallions and etc., so they probably don't bother with it and if necessary would probably attack the enemy satellite itself, so we have no easy solution from them. But what about civilians? It's difficult to sabotage Google's effort because they don't advertise when the next high-resolution picture will be taken, but someone out there must have thought of a defense for this, and probably it's something quite simple, like grape vines.
Google time.
Yahoshua
06-18-06, 01:11 AM
Is this an example of the Google sat? (It's a sattelite pic of a rural house just north of Pocatello Idaho).
That house with what lookes like two rows od dots around it is where I live right now...only one row of trees now though, and we built a barn and have some goat pens built. And an Alfalfa field on the south side next to the main canal.
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=43.00289~-112.44421&style=h&lvl=16
Well, now that you all know where to find me.....anyone here likes Goat Cheese?
Drebbel
06-18-06, 01:43 AM
Looks like the Dutch have better connections with Google. Look what google did to the Dutch Ministry of Defence a couple of weeks ago:
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2750/xfnfnfhnhfngh6fo.png
Same for our Airforce HQ
http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/2047/gjhgdsdhs0ig.png
XabbaRus
06-18-06, 12:37 PM
Ridiculous. I don't see what is so irresponsible with Google Earth showing images of nuclear stations, bases etc. They are sat photos for gods sake and people want to see the stuff. Also its not as if they were taken yesterday. Sure I could see how you could work out some decetn approach angles to facilities, but it isn't stuff that couldn't be worked out with a decent map of the area, photographs taken on a recce.
I thought something like this would happen. Some govt. somewhere would be unhappy that there are decent res pics of some facility. Soon govts. are going to want the service cut back as it could aid potential terrorists. Rubbish, as if google earth makes it any easier. Pretty sure any terrorist worth his salt would use a bit more than GE to plan his attack.
As for asking for your house to be removed is that not being a bit oversensitive?
What about those aerial photo companies who fly about and take pictures of your house and then try and sell them to you what can you do? I think there is a big difference between a sat photo and someone taking apicture of your house from the street.
What about someone who is taking a photograph of your street for some reason a brouchure or just because it could make a good picture? Are you going to ask them not to take it or black it out?
I think GE is great.
This reminds me of the British plane spotters who got arrested in Greece some years ago they were charged with spying. Granted this is a different issue, never the less the whole thing is nothing more than a storm in a tea cup.
It's not exactly that difficult to view various terrorist targets in Britain...
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/9186/thiswayforradiation2nq.jpg
Taken about five hours ago. :ping:
XabbaRus
06-18-06, 02:57 PM
It will be another excuse for stupid govt. to make some other new law.
It's like in the UK, we are the most "caught on CCTV" nation in Europe.
I think the stat is something like 300 times a day you are recorded on one CCTV camera or another. The new one is the cameras that will have Number Plate Recognition technology for catching people who hadn't paid road tax. Now I think this is bollocks as AFAIK the DVLA computers can already know if you haven't paid your road tax through the small matter of them not receiving your money on time. OK so the post could be slow and your cheques arrive late, but considering you can pay at Post Offices and by CC or Debit card that is rare. It is just another excuse in the UK to keep an eye on us. I am sure Tony Blair and definately Gordon Brown want to turn the UK into a socialist police state where they know where everyone is all of the time. Any other UK people here read about the plan that after a certain date cars will have to have a GPS device fitted as standard so you can be charged for driving down the road. It is the thin end of the wedge. Thing is most people buy into the "but you will be safer and we can loko after you better" crap the govt spin.
Some satellite photo of my house, don't mind. Govt filming me all the time, big problem. I remember some US intelligence chief saying that the UK has a CCTV capability unrivalled by the world and one the US would love and one that the UK (as of yet) doesn't utilise to its fullest potential. I think there are laws in the US that make the surveillance we have illegal. Could someone clarify this?
Perilscope
06-18-06, 03:03 PM
I do not think the terrorist choose their ground attack via satellite images. Terrorists are more after the infrastructure blueprints of a particular building rather then these sparse images from the sky. At worse, it can be used for entry and escape route planning. However, I doubt these people ever plan to come out of their attack…
If it's not with Google, it's going to be with a commercial software, or even some free open source software like this one: http://www.tvgeo.com/
So why blame Google for giving out sensitive info, when it is possible to find equal or better info elsewhere.:doh:
Skybird
06-18-06, 03:25 PM
It's a bit of hysteria, I think. Everybody knows the Israelis have nukes, and reactors, no matter if they admit it it or not. the show they still make of it is ridiculous. I do not see more or less reason to remove these pictures ij question from google Earth as I see reason to remove pics of oil tanks and refineries. Pipelines. Dams. Sweetwater reservoires. Chemical industrial sites. Powerplants. Forests. The list could be continued. Total security is only available at the price of total control, complete annihilation of all freedoms, censorship of public media and controlling education and opinion building. Short: totalitarism. And even then you do not get total security.
It is just another excuse in the UK to keep an eye on us. I am sure Tony Blair and definately Gordon Brown want to turn the UK into a socialist police state where they know where everyone is all of the time.
Remember this?
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9168/p11gx.png
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1541/no60rv.png
I AM NOT A NUMBER I AM A FREE MAN
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/9518/n2leom6zd.jpg
WE WANT INFORMATION BY HOOK OR BY CROOK WE WILL GET IT.
A TV show comes true scary fact. :ping:
TteFAboB
06-18-06, 04:04 PM
XabbaRus, I've never had any of that happen to me, never seen my house anywhere or been offered an aerial photograph, it's only on Google Earth. I can sue any private voyeur, I can get me or my house removed from any private enterprise, brochure, advertising, whatever. Yes I would not allow my house to be used commercially without my approval and royalties, the TV stations have to ask my permission for their footage, why Google Earth doesn't?! Google Earth stands above citizens? You have to keep the government on check at all times, and remember them that they serve you, their salary is paid by you, and transparency is the only alternative to corruption.
But what can I do about the government using Google Earth then?
I don't want the government to have free access to satellite images they should PAY for so that all the population can see it on the state budget and demand why they are so interested in this or that.
Without the ability of blurring my house by my request, any government official can use it for free on his spare time, or even while on duty.
The military may want to cover up their stuff, if google ceded, then why can't I? The citizen should be above both the military and the government, and if Google opens the precedent for censoring military/gov stuff, users should be allowed to request censorship of their private property too.
Likewise, there you have it, if the government can use Google Earth to take pictures of XabbaRus in the shower, why can't they do it with a CCTV? It's just an extra zoom. Don't complain Xabby, you gave them a finger and they took your arm.
XabbaRus
06-18-06, 04:10 PM
Still think you are over reacting.
If you had read my post carefully you'd see that there is a difference between a photo taken from 150 miles up and one taken by a CCTV camera across the street.
Valid points concerning private companies using a picture of your house in a way that means they are gaining money from even in an indirect way. Thing is it probably has already happened, what can you do about it.
Google Earth, has it gone too far? (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7813256933733489580)
XabbaRus
06-18-06, 04:13 PM
That's funny.
Google Earth, has it gone too far? (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7813256933733489580)
Careful Oberon, you may get carted off to the village. ;)
The Noob
06-18-06, 04:45 PM
Looks like the Dutch have better connections with Google. Look what google did to the Dutch Ministry of Defence a couple of weeks ago:
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2750/xfnfnfhnhfngh6fo.png
Same for our Airforce HQ
http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/2047/gjhgdsdhs0ig.png
How insane. And Lunatic. Just...WTF?!
:rotfl:
TteFAboB
06-18-06, 04:50 PM
what can you do about it
I can sue them!
My constitution guarantees my privacy, whenever I feel my privacy is being violated, I may have a civil or criminal case in my hands. That's why TV Stations must ask for permission to put recorded footage on air, and if any single bastard calls the network and asks the footage not to be aired, it musn't be aired. But commercial use is the least of my worries.
Fact is I don't trust any public employee with a camera.
There is indeed a difference between CCTV and photos from miles up, in CCTV the government is forced to use a software that blacks-out any windows when requested, with satellites the British can do nothing about it.
If it was possible to block governments from using Google Earth, I wouldn't be over reacting here, since realistically there isn't, I must over-react and demand the means to prevent them from watching me, and not the other way around. If not, then I demand the same priviledge the Dutch government has, I'm not below any government, as a citizen, I'm above. I can put a live webcam on the web displaying the cityhall, but the inverse cannot happen. I can photograph the cityhall as much as I want, but a cityhall employee cannot stop by my house and photograph my house as much as he wants.
The Avon Lady
06-19-06, 01:53 AM
what can you do about it
I can sue them!
My constitution guarantees my privacy, whenever I feel my privacy is being violated, I may have a civil or criminal case in my hands.
Everyone agrees that you have a case (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsOzgM5vuDQ&search=google%20earth%20crack) here.:yep:
The Black Helicopters are coming!! (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/14/google_earth_competition_results/)
:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/23/black_helicopter_shirt.gif
Better put one of these signs up with all the blasted helicopters buzzing around here.
Drebbel
06-19-06, 03:59 PM
How insane. And Lunatic. Just...WTF?!
Ok, tell me. How would one without these google images know what the compound looks like behind the first walls ? These images can be very valuable. Why you think governments around the globe spent billions and billions on spy planes and sattelites, right, because this kind of info is highly important for a couple of reasons. And some of those reasons can also be used by the bad guys.
hey i can see some body else's house from here..great use of WW1 german camoflage
I've downloaded Google Earth (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7813256933733489580) and my home city close up is a blur :mad:
London on the other hand got in close
HMS Belfast
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6478/clipimage0028zl.jpg
scandium
06-20-06, 01:17 AM
How insane. And Lunatic. Just...WTF?!
Ok, tell me. How would one without these google images know what the compound looks like behind the first walls ? These images can be very valuable. Why you think governments around the globe spent billions and billions on spy planes and sattelites, right, because this kind of info is highly important for a couple of reasons. And some of those reasons can also be used by the bad guys.
You could probably make that arguement for just about anything. GPS, for instance, is just as useful for civilian or military/quasi-military application. The civilian version of GPS isn't nearly as precise though, I believe, and its the same with Google Earth where the resolution is nowhere near what spy satellites and planes are capable of.
Etienne
06-21-06, 10:30 PM
[quote]How insane. And Lunatic. Just...WTF?!
You could probably make that arguement for just about anything. GPS, for instance, is just as useful for civilian or military/quasi-military application. The civilian version of GPS isn't nearly as precise though, I believe, and its the same with Google Earth where the resolution is nowhere near what spy satellites and planes are capable of.
The difference between P-code and CA-code GPS isn't significative, unless you're directing a rocket or something. For a slow moving receiver, D-GPS with CA code is about as precise as you'd like it to be. (If the D-GPS station is close enough)
And the resolution on GE is pretty bad... And here are the original Black Helicopters :-P
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=37.246378,-115.816138&spn=0.002003,0.003616
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