California politician wants to censor online maps

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A photograph issued by online mapping firm GeoEye-1. An elected California official wants the state known for Internet technology to blur images of schools, hospitals, government buildings and houses of worship in online maps.

An elected California official wants the state known for Internet technology to blur images of schools, hospitals, government buildings and houses of worship in online maps.

Southern California assemblyman Joel Anderson, a Republican, is backing a bill that would call for Internet mapping services to obscure such images or face daily fines of 250,000 dollars.

"Sensitive areas that could be potential soft targets for terrorists or hate crime perpetrators should not be available on the internet at a level of detail that poses a serious security risk," Anderson said Friday in an email to AFP.

He cited reports that pictures of former prime minister Tony Blair's home in London were recently removed from a Street View feature in Google maps that provides users with 360-degree images of locations.

Anderson also said that Street View pictures of the House of Commons and other British government buildings were "blacked out."

Google has said publically that it does not take it on itself to edit images at its free online mapping service but that it does delete or obscure pictures at requests from property owners or officials running government facilities.

"In the United Kingdom, Google blacked out key government buildings from their Street View service," Anderson said.

"I have proposed a bill, AB 255, that would require all Internet mapping sites to take the same precautions with California government buildings, places of worship, schools and hospitals."

The bill, which Anderson introduced in February, would make it state law for online mapping services to blur images of designated "sensitive" locations, whether the pictures were taken at street level, from the air, or by satellites.

Anderson concedes that his fledgling bill needs to be refined, but argues that it is part of a growing international trend by governments to curb risks of terrorists using online mapping services to plan attacks.

The official maintains that he is not opposed to online maps, but believes only those up to evil deeds are interested in details such as positioning of entrances, windows and air ducts.

(c) 2009 AFP

   

• joex - Mar 28, 2009
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (4)
  Should probably remove listings in phone books for these places too. And addresses, wherever those may be printed. Sure, it might be hard finding your government offices and schools but atleast the children will be safe from these terrorists.
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• mforbes21 - Mar 29, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
  Should also make sure that all online photo galleries, such as Flickr, Picasaweb, etc, have to blur photos of these places.
  
  Give me a break, this isn't about making us safer, it's about making us -feel- safer.
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• jonnyboy - Mar 29, 2009
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
  Is it possible for us to force California to secede from the union and go their own way?
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• laserdaveb - Mar 29, 2009
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  nah...just guvernate it!
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• Arikin - Mar 29, 2009
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  Don't forget the paper maps sold everywhere.
  
  Maybe the 360 degree street views I can understand a little. But blurring a top view of the these?
  
  Fine just search google maps for blurred areas and then go check it out. It is most likely a soft target. Individual life is cheap to terrorists so they would have a guy sit and film/record the target. LIKE THEY HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.
  
  Please don't let politicians try to do terrorist profiling.
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• theEXxman - Mar 29, 2009
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  I was born at Lackland AFB. What if I wanted to look at my place of birth. So is that going to make me a terrorist because of that. I lived at Scott AFB in the 80's too, and Nellis and....
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• docshub - Mar 30, 2009
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  How typical of California. There are at least 50 other ways for anyone to get the same information. Maybe if the politicians spent more time on important and positive things, the state would not be in the predicament it is. This is not about safety, it is about politics. Quit the censorship for headlines.
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• holoman - Mar 30, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  Too late the barn doors open and the data is
  already out there.
  
  To stop it now is only going to hurt the good guys.
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