Google 'could help terrorists'

2005-10-15 20:18

Hyderabad - Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam on Saturday expressed concern over a free mapping program from Google that he said could help terrorists by providing aerial photos of potential targets.

Google Earth, an internet website launched in June this year, allows users to access overlapping satellite photos. Though not all areas are highly detailed, some images are very high resolution, and some show sensitive locations in various countries.

"You will realise that some of the developing countries, which are already in danger of terrorist attacks, have been singularly chosen to provide such high resolutions about them," Kalam told a meeting of top police officials in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

South Korea, Netherlands and Thailand have expressed similar concerns.

South Korea has already raised the issue with the United States. South Korean newspaper reports have said the Google Earth service provides images of the presidential Blue House and military bases in the country, which remains technically at war with communist North Korea.

North Korean sites such as its main nuclear research facility at Yongbyon are also displayed on the service.

On India, the Google site contains clear aerial photos of the parliament building, president's house and surrounding government offices in New Delhi. There are also some clear shots of Indian defence establishments.

Kalam, who was a scientist and guided India's missile programme before he became president, called for new laws to restrain such dissemination.

Existing laws in some countries regarding spatial observations over their territory and the United Nation's recommendations in this respect are inadequate, he said, but did not elaborate.

- AP