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Google under fire for military base aerial shots
From the archive, first published Tuesday 20th Sep 2005.
MINISTRY of Defence officials have hit back at claims from defence experts that military bases near Swindon could be at risk of terrorist attacks.
The comments follow the recent release of Google Earth, a free website which shows pictures taken from a variety of satellites around the world, including nearby air force bases at Lyneham and Fairford which is used by U2 spy planes.
Shadow minister for homeland security Patrick Mercer said that the air above Lyneham and other bases was up for grabs thanks to Google.
He said: "I see no reason why the Government should not speak to Google and make sure details of national security do not appear."
But MoD spokesman Miguel Head does not agree with this view.
Mr Head said that Google Earth was not doing anything new.
"Frankly these claims are nonsense," he said.
"Throughout the Cold War we had Russian satellites flying over our heads able to see the same images.
"Our security systems are under constant review, and had Google or any other programme posed a threat, we would have dealt with it."
A spokesman for Google UK said: "We take any concerns about Google Earth and Google Maps seriously. But Google Earth was built from information that is already available from both commercial and public sources."
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