A Mumbai-based advocate has filed a petition in the Bombay high court for a "complete ban on Google Earth and similar sites like Wikimapia'' as these could pose a security threat to the country.

According to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Amit Karkhanis, these websites provided minute details, photographs and "extremely accurate navigational coordinates'' of sensitive areas. These could be utilised by terrorists, who have been reportedly depending on advanced technology and internet services such as Google Earth, maps and satellite phones for planning their operations. The petition blamed Google earth for being against the purpose of the National Security Act. The lawyer maintained that the government had the authority to check acts that could affect the country’s security and safety.

In India, only the ministry of science and technology, and Survey of India are the authorised authorities for mapping the country. According to India’s National Mapping Policy of 2005, only the Survey of India is authorised to make maps in the country in association with the National Remote Sensing Centre.

However, Google Earth offers free internet satellite pictures on the Internet without limits. It also has no control and cannot prevent misuse. Even images of sensitive places such as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, naval dockyards, nuclear and oil establishments and Rashtrapati Bhavan are provided without restrictions.

Google earth’s premium edition, available for a subscription of $400 offers real-time maps and updates for its users. According to Karkhanis, the site provided detailed images including the pictures of the ongoing construction of the Worli-Bandra Sealink.

Karkhanis wants the government to reveal the measures taken to guarantee that such information is not misused by terror agents. He appealed to the High Court to direct the site to blur images of sensitive locations.

Earlier, former president Abdul Kalam had voiced his concerns about the availability of unrestricted images of sensitive locations in the country on Google Earth. The Indian government and Google Earth had also agreed to display only blurred, low-resolution or unclear images of sensitive areas such as military and scientific establishments on the Internet. X

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The Times of India