Google Took Illegal Street View Pictures of SAS HQ

[Pei-chen]

No wonder the British are the dumbest people in Europe; closely followed by the Italian who sues the messenger.

 

[jellico]

[citation][nom]seezur[/nom]"The secret base of the Special Air Service has never before appeared on maps for security reasons."So it was a secret base that was not marked on any map. So how was google supposed to know what they were taking pictures of?? The artical does not say that this particular base was marked with signs warning against photography and that would kind of defeat the purpose of it being a "secret base."[/citation]
Heh, there is probably a sign out front that reads: Special Air Service Secret Base.

Seriously, though, terrorists are not stupid. If they are scanning through Google maps looking for potential targets, a location becomes immediately conspicuous by its absence on the map.

 

[necronic]

Yeah I don't for the life of me understand the problem some people have with google maps. I mean, this specific instance I can understand, but for the other stuff? GTFO, its the digital age baby, can't stop the flow.

 

[dstln]

[citation][nom]Yuka[/nom]Why can't they just render 3D images instead of acutally taking photographs? It's really annoying sometiems their "bad people have something to hide" motto. I'm not a bad person IMO, but I don't like being photographed without my consent. With all the money involed in taking the pics, it's much much cheaper to render the street (wich can be improved with customer support) and get a better result in the way.On this particular case, it's kinda over-reacted, true. But they have the "don't take pictures" sign for a reason: People around the facilities! Terrorists can do harm to people around the facilities to get something, no doubt in that.Cheers![/citation]

Seriously? Rendering images of street view wouldn't help anything. Right now I assume they just have an eight-way camera that they take pics with every so and so seconds or distance, with images saved to disc. Any decent 3d rendering like that wouldn't be possible in realtime and it would be pointless anyway as you'd still see all the stuff, just in worse quality and looking artificial (you forget the point of street view anyway...).

This is clearly the best method for them and for people who use it...

 

[kingnoobe]

News flash. If your base is right beside a public road, it's probably not really a secret.

 

[michaelahess]

Like terrorists need google maps to find these places, what a joke, they just need to walk down the street!

 

[jnjkele]

Yeah, love it - government stupidity at it's finest. I would think that something so super secret wouldn't have warning signs all around saying 'secret government facility nearby, don't take pictures'.

 

[silverblue]

[citation][nom]pei-chen[/nom]No wonder the British are the dumbest people in Europe; closely followed by the Italian who sues the messenger.[/citation]

It's okay, we won't take offence at such a dumb comment, though we'd like you to back it up with facts.

Incidentally, I don't mind Google Street View, and I'm willing to bet most of the UK couldn't give a toss either. We have cameras everywhere; what's one more?

 

[bogcotton]

[citation][nom]pei-chen[/nom]No wonder the British are the dumbest people in Europe; closely followed by the Italian who sues the messenger.[/citation]

http/www.china-profile.com/data/tab_citations_2a.htm

If you look at papers per capita, even though the population is about 10 million out, because they took the population of the entire of the UK, that puts us in the top three for science research.

Not to mention our economy is built on knowledge rather than physical labour.

I really dont understand where you've picked up this idea from.

We have the most critical media, so the idiotic minority are publicized, but that doesn't mean the rest of Europe doesn't have idiots.

May I ask where you are from?

 

[bogcotton]

I don't know how I managed to screw up that statistic so badly.

But please don't take that into consideration when judging British people.

=]

 

[waxdart]

Soon the terrorists will blow up the black missing photo holes!

Can you see these pictures in other countries or are they blocked in the UK?

 

[Guest]

chunkymonster: Whatever happened to learning how to read a paper map? The excitement and adventure of taking a road trip has all but been completely lost as a result of Google maps and GPS's.

This is someone who is not embracing the digital age, yet reads about new technologies here on Tom's. Hey chunkymonster, do you read about new technologies from computer magazines? Has Tom's and other electronics review websites taken the excitement and adventure of travelling to your local magazine and newspaper stand? People have more choices today, if they really want the excitement you are talking about they can just go get a map and get on the road. If they run a delivery business maybe Google Maps and GPS can be more useful. More choices, dude!

 

[HalJordan]

[citation][nom]chunkymonster[/nom]Whatever happened to learning how to read a paper map?The excitement and adventure of taking a road trip has all but been completely lost as a result of Google maps and GPS's.[/citation]

Just because you have GPS, and Google Maps doesn't mean you have to use them on your road trip. One could argue that the use of paper map on an exciting and adventurous road trip would be defeating the purpose as well.

 

[Lewis57]

If it was taken from a public road then quit ya' bitching. Simple as, if its public then it isn't private from the world, thats what private roads are for.

 

[mikepaul]

You have to wonder: if Google's folks could do all that and only when the pics made it online did anyone yell, how many terrorists have also quietly finished their tours?...

 

[NoCaDrummer]

House, house, house, business, house, business, blank screen, business, house, house....

Uh, wouldn't it be obvious that the missing piece is something pretty important (i.e. classified)as one goes goonoodling down a road? If the location is "secretive" then take the sign down that says "Special Air Service". Google maps airports, train stations and other facilities, and no one is having a hissy fit about that.

 

[techguy378]

Google has the right to post any pictures they want for their street view service as long as they are taken from a public road. If it were possible to take pictures of Area 51 from a public road this would be 100% legal to post on the internet. If you happen to be standing naked in your back yard then as long as you are visible from a public street Google can post a (hopefully censored) picture of you on the internet. People need to stop complaining about this because their complaints are totally baseless according to US law.

 

[figgus]

[citation][nom]techguy378[/nom]People need to stop complaining about this because their complaints are totally baseless according to US law.[/citation]

US law doesn't apply in the UK for some reason. Go figure.

 

[triculious]

there is a lesson to be learned from this

whenever you see a building with huge neon lights reading "Secret Military Base" do not take pictures of it... it is meant to remain secret, and as basically nobody knows where it is if even mention of it is spread a HUGE scandal will be made out of it

seems like Rocky and Mugsy don't want to be found

 

[chunkymonster]

[citation][nom]foogy66[/nom]chunkymonster: Whatever happened to learning how to read a paper map? The excitement and adventure of taking a road trip has all but been completely lost as a result of Google maps and GPS's.This is someone who is not embracing the digital age, yet reads about new technologies here on Tom's. Hey chunkymonster, do you read about new technologies from computer magazines? Has Tom's and other electronics review websites taken the excitement and adventure of travelling to your local magazine and newspaper stand? People have more choices today, if they really want the excitement you are talking about they can just go get a map and get on the road. If they run a delivery business maybe Google Maps and GPS can be more useful. More choices, dude![/citation]Don't be so presumptuous or judgmental about my adoption rate of "newer" technologies. Chances are I've been geeking it up for a number of years more than you...

[citation][nom]haljordan[/nom]Just because you have GPS, and Google Maps doesn't mean you have to use them on your road trip. One could argue that the use of paper map on an exciting and adventurous road trip would be defeating the purpose as well.[/citation]Thanks for that bit-o-insight, Green Lantern!