blur

Why Google Maps blurring would set us back

Editor's note: This guest post by Drexel University researcher Keith Sevcik is in response to statements made by California assemblyman Joel Anderson in a Q&A conducted earlier this week with CNET News.

California Assemblyman Joel Anderson wants to censor Google Earth and other satellite mapping services from providing detailed images of sensitive areas.

Under the guise of preventing terrorist attacks, the bill seeks to blur satellite imagery of government buildings, medical facilities, schools, and places of worship to remove "air duct"-level detail from the images. If Mr. Anderson's claim--that only "bad people&… Read more

Lawmaker wants Google Maps to blur certain buildings

Imagine if all the hospitals, schools, churches, and government buildings that appear on online maps were nothing but blurs.

That would not only reduce the usefulness of things like Google Maps and Google Earth, but it would be a huge undertaking for Google and would probably violate the First Amendment.

But that's exactly what California Assemblyman Joel Anderson, a Republican from El Cajon, is proposing in a measure dubbed "AB-255."

The measure would apply to Web site operators and online services that make "a virtual globe browser available to members of the public" and fails … Read more

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EPISODE 99

Eric Litman and Rana Sobhany stop by The 404 to wish Randall the best. We'll talk about HBO on iTunes, Google Street View face blurring, and how Speed Racer lied about how well it did at the box office!

Don't forget to leave your farewell messages for Randall! E-mail them to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.

Listen now: Download today's podcast