Following the recent tragedy in Mumbai, India, the Bombay High Court has been petitioned to request a blurring of sensitive areas leading up to an outright ban of Google Earth.
Advocate Amit Karkhanis uses the petition to allege that the popular satellite imagery program “aids terrorists in plotting attacks,” and played an active role in recent events. This lobby follows the belief that GPS and other high-tech gadgets aided the terrorists in plotting, executing, and monitoring the attacks which have stunned the world.
Suspicion regarding such satellite imagery services have been brewing in India since Faheem Ahmed Ansari, a member of a militant Pakistani group known as Lashkar-e-Taiber, claimed he was shown Indian points of interest on Google Earth after being arrested in February. Ansari was arrested carrying a map of nine targets within India, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel which bore the brunt of the assault in the recent attacks.
Mumbai police already believe that Google Earth or a similar satellite imagery service is to blame. It remains to be seen how the Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organization might modify its plans for a similar service announced called Bhuvan.
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