Do maps on the web pose a security threat?
The german News.Giswiki blog has an interesting article about the security threats created by tools like Google Earth and maps on the web. The company b&p SDI has analysed which of these threats are realistic, and which are scare stories.
After 9/11, potential targets of terrorist attacks like the White House or nuclear power plants were overlayed with black boxes on digital satellite images. However, most of these targets can also be found on paper maps, which are available with only little more effort in book stores. Hence, the existence of alternative sources for the same information is an important point in the analysis. Beyond that, people are getting used to the availability of geographic information on the web, and there are companies using this information to create new products. Thus, banning such information from the web would cause a siginificant economic damage. Based on these facts, the authors propose a three-step procedure to judge wether a certain kind of geographic information can be used for illegal or terrorist activities:
- Find out whether the information can be useful in planning such activities
- Find out whether there are alternative sources for the same information
- Appraise the economic damage which would be caused by taking the information off the web
Short and long versions of the report are availabe on the web (both in german).
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