India: Maharashtra Wants Censorship of Google Earth

According to reports in The Hindu, India’s Maharashtra government is revisiting legal options to censor Google Earth in the wake of the program’s alleged use in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Curbing the use of Google Earth could prevent future terror attacks, according to the Government Ministry. Minister of State for Home stated: “We want Google Earth censored…We have scores of sensitive and ultra-sensitive locations in Mumbai, Maharashtra and the rest of the country that can be easily viewed on Google Earth maps.”

The Minister went on to specify specific sites to be censored, stating: “We want at least sensitive locations like defense installations, government headquarters, legislature buildings, important places of worship, ports, docks and other similar sites to be left out on the satellite maps.”

In December 2008, according to The Register and The Times of London, an Indian court was called to ban Google Earth in response to intelligence indicating that the satellite imaging was used in planning November’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai.