A case has been filed at the Mumbai high court to ban the services of Google Earth as it is suspected that the Mumbai attackers had taken the assistance of the online satellite imaging tool to devastate the city on November 26. The demand of banning Google Earth and similar services came from an Indian lawyer named Amit Karkhanis. He is of the view that the tech-savvy jihadis extensively utilise the freely available online and other web-based services to plan and execute terror strikes.

 

The issue had already been raised by the British Army. It was reported that the Iraqi insurgents planning attacks on a British base in Basra had used Google Earth images in which individual buildings inside the camp could be seen clearly. Immediately after the information, Google replaced the images with photographs that predated the construction of the base. Google Earth services seem to be a threat to the country. The layout of India’s most important atomic research facility remained accessible on Google despite protest.

 

Experts are of the view that Islamic terrorists have been using the web for propaganda and training purposes and are constantly refining their methods. The case filed at the Indian court alleges that Google Earth and similar services aid terrorists in plotting attacks by supplying detailed images that are used to acquaint militants with their targets. Apart from Google, Twitter, a tool that allows people to update blogs from their mobile phones has also been put under scanner for helping the terrorists to serve their purpose.