I received this comment from William, a loyal CTB reader, referring to Daveed Gartenstein-Ross’ post on Palestinian extremists’ use of Google Earth to help determine their targets for rocket strikes:
I was just reading about the use of Google Earth by the Palestians and others regarding the use of this program to determine targets in Israel, and the feeble excuse that Google gave, on Counterterrosism blog. I decided to look up Israel and Syria, and lo and behold, if you type in Syria,then zoom to about 66 miles and in the Golan Heights and click on the ‘Al Qunaytirah’ red dot, it actually says, “Houses destroyed by Israel”, and when you click on it, it shows a picture of house that has been hit by some type of weapons ordinance.
I looked up all over Israel for something saying, “Houses destroyed by Hezbollah, Syria, or Palestinians”, and guess what the startling conclusion was, as far as I can tell. Yep, you guessed it, nothing of the sort.The feeble excuse given by Google that, “anyone can fly over or drive by” the Israeli military installations and other government bodies as a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why they are allowed to show these close up is so shot down by this simple fact that they actually would say, and allow, you to see a picture of one house, supposedly destroyed by Israel.
This is why I absolutely refuse to use Google products of any kind, including their search engine.
P.S. Also, try to zoom in on places in Iran…for some amazing reason, the images are much more blurred than those in Israel.
Whatever happened to Google’s promise to “Do no evil?”
Google’s manipulation of information has become so brazen that it is bound to become a scandal, and very soon. Google apparently believes that it’s in a position not to have to care. We shall see.
Google is so big and I am so little.
Little, yes. But obnoxious far out of proportion with your size!
ouch
To be fair, Google doesn’t go up into orbit and take the pictures themselves — unlike AP and Reuters they don’t create imagery, they obtain it. And the quality of the imagery is determined by whoever produces it.
As of the timestamp on this comment, clicking the red dot for Al Qunaytirah now brings up a balloon reading “UNDOF — occupied by UN.”
It would be interesting to know the real reason why Google has changed the verbiage, and what has happened to whoever input the “destroyed by Israel” verbiage.
It was meant as a compliment, hf.
Thank you then. It’s just that my second grade teacher used that word on me once and I’m still sensitive about it.
Yes. My second grade teacher once observed that Daniel “liked to have things his own way.” What was supposed to be unusual about that, I was unable to understand.
Yes. My second grade teacher once observed that Daniel “liked to have things his own way.†What was supposed to be unusual about that, I was unable to understand.
My response would have been, “Yeah? So?”
Own Google stock? Keep an eye on the 9th of November: http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12101/53/
– JD – Goebbles better hope they can pack the jury with SicProggs.
The problem is that I really don’t know a good alternative to Google as a search engine. The closest I’ve found is Ask.com, but I find their placement of paid sites annoying.
http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm
No excuses.
I don’t think Google has anything at all to do with the captions on Google Earth community labels, Dan. The label might even have been changed after the photo was selected for inclusion.
I don’t think Google has anything at all to do with the captions on Google Earth community labels, Dan. The label might even have been changed after the photo was selected for inclusion.
No idea why that posted twice. I blame Monday.
Slartibartfast: I think you’re right. I haven’t used Google Earth for a while, but I believe that anyone can add labels to geographic features and propagate them to others.
Okay, slart.
Isn’t the answer perhaps to take what you need from Google, but expose their tricks, or the tricks of others corrupting their links? After all we all use the Guardian’s output against the ideology it espouses. And they continue to employ our best weapon in that regard: Polly Toynbee. If I’m wrong please elucidate Dan. You know I sit rapt at your feet.
No, Frank, I think you’re absolutely right. You may have seen the post I did about how they buried the MoveOn Petraeus ad. That’s not kosher at all. And it’s well documented that they have some strange views on what constitutes or does not constitute a news site.
And don’t sit rapt at my feet. You make me feel as though I need to take you for a walk.
Oh…I thought he said rapped. Or maybe wrapped.
That name. Can’t breathhhhh.
Dude, you can’t just blurt out a name like that without fair warning. My wife requires a detailed explanation whenever I drop from my chair and ball-up on the carpet.
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Comment by Dan Collins on 10/28 @ 6:05 pm #
Little, yes. But obnoxious far out of proportion with your size!
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Comment by happyfeet on 10/28 @ 6:09 pm #
ouch
Happy. In this instance it’s a good thing.
Thanks Rusty. I’m so into that scroogle thing too. That’s for real subversive even if you know math cause it shows that resistance while futile doesn’t take a lot of effort either.
“I haven’t used Google Earth for a while, but I believe that anyone can add labels to geographic features and propagate them to others.”
But are they so brazen that it is bound to become a scandal? I dont think so.