Zoom with a view

[Tom]

If you set out to use the internet's best new time waster for global terrorism, tracking pedophiles or breaking felons out of jail, know that you've been warned.

 

"In no event shall Google be liable to you or anyone else for any direct, special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind," the world's ultimate search engine warns.

 

That's Google's disclaimer for wrong addresses its new program Google Earth might supply. The program allows computer users with broadband connections the capacity to view the world from 1200 metres.

 

It allows users to soar over the entire planet as low as 100 metres but from 1200 metres you can make out rooftops easily.

 

From there you can spot where best to land a helicopter at Long Bay jail. Stealth bombers can be pinpointed parked on desert runways and you could make out a commercial cannabis crop.

 

Software which overlays geographic points, for example pedophiles' workplaces or homes, is supposedly being used or developed by vigilante groups.

 

An existing feature allows mapped journeys from A to B. User groups have sprung up swapping information on objects such as US warships.

 

The free download does not provide any vision in real time. From a virtual position above any given spot on the planet's surface you will see what was visible below when an image of it was stored by satellite or aircraft, in the past three years.

 

Typing in a city name or programmed feature allows an instant search and repositioning above that planetary point.

 

Google Earthers can cruise Baghdad's boulevards without fear of suicide bombers or rocket propelled grenades.

 

Despite the limited nature of the program's capacity to actually spy, the president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cameron Murphy, expects some users to have malign intent.

 

"Anybody could get still photographs of a house and work out how to break in - how to get access from a balcony at the back of the second floor," Mr Murphy said.

 

The Australian Government should pass laws that allow people to choose not to have their property or person appear on such programs, he said.

 

"The technology is moving forward so fast that the law is just not catching up - we need strong privacy laws that are adaptable to the technology," Mr Murphy said.

 

Author:Stephen Gibbs and Matthew Thompson

Date:July 16, 2005

Source:The Sydney Morning Herald

Copyright: © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald

 

[Pure]

I don't want some freak voyer adict watching my area

 

If they "allow" general users to do it imagine how close the government's would be allowed to utilise :thumbdown

 

 

i'm going underground

[quizywig]

with that technology it could be the begining of the end for outdoor crops with any size, it would be too easy to make some software to analyse the images to identify pot, probably even indoor will need some stealth to hide heat and light intensity from invasive technology,

[GodsFreeGift]

and the scary thing is.. I've heard that this technology that we see is 10-15years old. If that's true... who knows what they have now! or what'll be in the future. ...

[WantDaChronic]

  and the scary thing is.. I've heard that this technology that we see is 10-15years old. wacko.gif If that's true... who knows what they have now! or what'll be in the future. ...

 

i think you'll find that its closer to 20-25 years old...govt. agencies create technology like spy satellites that can see the heat of a person and find out where he/she has been just by following their heat trail but they only release them to the military and then like 10-15 years later the technology is released to the public...

 

a perfect example is gps...gps was designed by the usa a couple of decades back to help the military with their missle guidance systems...eventually when the technology was released to the public, instead of being able to locate you on the earth to within an inch or 2, they downgraded the technology so "enemies of the usa" couldnt use it against them and the ability to locate you was put down from a couple of inches to over 3 feet :thumbdown

 

with that in mind, imagine what the military has these days

[Spurious]

If you cut out a rectangular section of scrub and plant in defined rows, it's not going to take aerial photography to nail your arse.

 

Being careful to utilise the landscape, and to 'snake' lines through the scrub, taking advantage of the natural contours and vegetation will always be hard to eradicate.

[maxgrow]

If you set out to use the internet's best new time waster for global terrorism, tracking pedophiles or breaking felons out of jail, know that you've been warned.

 

"In no event shall Google be liable to you or anyone else for any direct, special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind," the world's ultimate search engine warns.

 

That's Google's disclaimer for wrong addresses its new program Google Earth might supply. The program allows computer users with broadband connections the capacity to view the world from 1200 metres.

 

It allows users to soar over the entire planet as low as 100 metres but from 1200 metres you can make out rooftops easily.

 

From there you can spot where best to land a helicopter at Long Bay jail. Stealth bombers can be pinpointed parked on desert runways and you could make out a commercial cannabis crop.

 

Software which overlays geographic points, for example pedophiles' workplaces or homes, is supposedly being used or developed by vigilante groups.

 

An existing feature allows mapped journeys from A to B. User groups have sprung up swapping information on objects such as US warships.

 

The free download does not provide any vision in real time. From a virtual position above any given spot on the planet's surface you will see what was visible below when an image of it was stored by satellite or aircraft, in the past three years.

 

Typing in a city name or programmed feature allows an instant search and repositioning above that planetary point.

 

Google Earthers can cruise Baghdad's boulevards without fear of suicide bombers or rocket propelled grenades.

 

Despite the limited nature of the program's capacity to actually spy, the president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cameron Murphy, expects some users to have malign intent.

 

"Anybody could get still photographs of a house and work out how to break in - how to get access from a balcony at the back of the second floor," Mr Murphy said.

 

The Australian Government should pass laws that allow people to choose not to have their property or person appear on such programs, he said.

 

"The technology is moving forward so fast that the law is just not catching up - we need strong privacy laws that are adaptable to the technology," Mr Murphy said.

 

Author:Stephen Gibbs and Matthew Thompson

Date:July 16, 2005

Source:The Sydney Morning Herald

Copyright: © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hey guys i have news for you !

Not only does the USA military/intelligence organizations have this technology but they have had it for many years and so do any of the co-operating countries/governments. There are however some points that should ease your minds a little, the costs of access are extremely high making it only suitable/viable for major events or cases. one of the obvious events is the ongoing (war you have when you are not having a war) Iraq and all the existing spying/monitoring that usually goes on.

 

There are also other interesting technologies being used too - satellite mapping of gas emissions around the globe (the gas given off by MJ is clearly visible from the satellites in question) there only needs to be around a dozen plants in flower/bud stage to provide enough gas output to be visible by the satellite (with special interpretation software in place).

Another technology is that of thermal imaging also usable from a satellite in space (similar software is also used to interpret the data collected).

 

Now if the relevent government organizations co-operated with the collection and use of this data we would certainly be in a lot of trouble (bigger fish get done first = cost viability verses results issue). then us the small fry eventually.

 

No i am not going to give up, why - because i don't rate as a pin prick in comparison to the other guys. This doesn't mean i am stupid though, caution and planning with every facet of what i do is still going to help keep me out of jail.

 

That said i do believe the local police forces will eventually wake up and start using the Google type service, man that scares the shit out of me !

 

The service would provide enough recconesence information to provide anybody willing to use it for legal or illegal purpose to gain unhindered access or entry to any premises or property.

 

In short - we should be worried. but not just yet ?