Google Street View poses security threat

Organisers of Infosecurity Europe say that they are expecting a storm of controversy to erupt over the introduction of the Google Street View facility in the UK.
“The introduction of this service in the UK, which has already attracted vociferous criticism in the US, is regarded by many as a voyeuristic intrusion of privacy. But the invasion of personal privacy is nothing compared to the threat this service poses to the national security of the UK,” said Tamar Beck, the show’s group event director.
“I find it deeply disturbing that critical sites such as police stations and army facilities are accessible on the service, thus posing a serious threat to national security, since terrorists now have the electronic equivalent of a dummies’ guide to 25 of the UK’s major cities,” she added.
According to Ms Beck, while Google Maps’ satellite view option has previously provided some degree of information to would-be terrorists on the Internet, the viewing angles are sufficiently limited to be of little use to a potential terrorist.
With Google Street View, she said, all the limitations go out of the window, giving terrorists instant – and anonymous – access to major UK cities on a street-by-street basis, where they can pick and choose terror targets from their training camps in Afghanistan, Iran and other volatile areas of the world.
It is to be hoped, she added, that the UK authorities take action to opt sites such as police stations and army barracks out of the Street View service.