Google Might Have Accidentally Leaked the Locations of Sensitive Military Bases in India

[IndoCarib]

The government of India is not happy with Google. The Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s equivalent of the FBI, has begun investigating the California company after a mapping contest sponsored by Google allegedly revealed the locations of sensitive military installations, Press Trust of India reported.

The purpose of the contest, called Mapathon 2013, was "to map accurate geographical information in Google Maps for India," according to Google’s Terms and Conditions. Sounds good, right? As someone who might have walked into the East River without the help of Google Maps, any effort to improve the service sounds like a good idea to me.

Except that Pathankot, the city which contest winner Vishal Saini mapped, is very close to the border of what India calls Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan calls the area Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), or simply Azad Kashmir ("Free Kashmir"). The two countries have fought three wars over the territory since 1947.

So it makes sense that India would have military installations nearby. It also makes sense that the government of India wouldn’t want everyone who knows how to use Google Maps to know exactly where those military installations are.

Alas, when Vishan Saini submitted his contest-winning map to Google, he included a large area labelled "Military Area," according to Popular Science. Whoops.

In India, you can’t just go around labelling things on maps willy-nilly. There is a government agency for that. The Survey of India is responsible for creating and maintaining maps of India and making sure that sensitive military installations don’t show up on maps for civilians. And Google didn’t ask the SOI permission before it launched its contest in the country.

"We are in touch with relevant authorities and take national regulations and security very seriously. We are not aware of any privacy issues and have nothing more to share at this point in time," representatives of Google India told Business Standard.

This isn’t the first time Google has become embroiled in controversy stemming from how its Maps tool functions in contested areas. In 2010, the public learned that "Google maintains thirty-two different region-specific versions of its Maps tool," in an article in Washington Monthly. This means the map of Kashmir that Indian users see is different from the version Pakistani users see. The web project Disputed Territories shows differences in maps of contested areas the world over.

Google Might Have Accidentally Leaked the Locations of Sensitive Military Bases in India

 

[Voltaire]

Well,hope GOI gets google to delete all sensitive info permanently in this case.

 

[Screambowl]

If a local can know it is a sensitive place then the other intelligence would also know about it. And can search on Google and Mark it.

 

[Koroke San]

I think that's one of the reason why Chinese banned spy google.

 

[Donatello]

Nothing that Pakistan or China didn't know.

 

[kbd-raaf]

Nothing that Pakistan or China didn't know.

It's not countries that India's worried about. Small terrorist outfits are the problem group.

 

[nik22]

Nothing that Pakistan or China didn't know.

Sure! Govt would not like Terrorists and everyone else to know

 

[Christopher]

Not a big deal

 

[Luca1]

It's not countries that India's worried about. Small terrorist outfits are the problem group.

The terrorist usually attack civilian target. They won't go after the military installations.

 

[nik22]

The terrorist usually attack civilian target. They won't go after the military installations.

really? Do you have no idea about what is happening in Pakistan? There have been attacks in Kashmir when insurgency was at peak.

 

[IndoCarib]

The terrorist usually attack civilian target. They won't go after the military installations.

Taliban in Afghanistan always attacks US military installations. You should know better

 

[SrNair]

Such types Freedom must control even if we have largest democracy.

 

[Koovie]

Such types Freedom must control even if we have largest democracy.

The thing is that people already know about their location... mainly those who live in that area.

So if anyone really wants to get the exact location of the base, he will get it with a little bit of effort.

 

[indoPunjabi]

pakistan already knows all sensitive military locations near indo-pak border.

 

[Abingdonboy]

The thing is that people already know about their location... mainly those who live in that area.

So if anyone really wants to get the exact location of the base, he will get it with a little bit of effort.

That's not the point bro. The fear is, and it is a very valid fear, that terrorist planners can use something as basic as Google maps to recce and plan terror attacks on sensitive areas all from their strongholds. Yes, the locals might have access to some information but what Google does is take such information and makes it available to anyone with an internet connection. Consider this, the LeT planners had used off the shelf tech and Google maps to help them plan 26/11 and then subsequently co-ordinate them from their control room in Karachi.

This is unacceptable and something Google has got into trouble with before even in India. IIRC the GoI had signed some sort of agreement with Google that said they wouldn't publish pics newer than 3 years old in the most secretive Indian military/research installations.

Knowledge is power, and there is simply NO justification for Google, or anyone else, seeking out or publishing this sort of information especially without involving the relevant government agency. The fact that Google have taken it on themselves to do this sort of thing without informing the GoI is what is going to land them in a whole heap of trouble.