Satellite images censored by Google Maps
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Some locations on free, publicly-viewable satellite map services, including Google Maps, have missing, incomplete, or unclear map data. In some cases, these regions have been intentionally digitally obscured or blurred.1

In some cases, censorship of certain sites has been removed. When Google Maps was launched, images of the White House and United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. were blurred out; current versions of Google Maps and Google Earth show these sites uncensored, but with out-of-date imagery.2

Contents

Countries in official contact with Google Maps

During talks with the Indian government, Google issued a statement saying "Google has been talking and will continue to talk to the Indian government about any security concerns it may have regarding Google Earth."3

The Australian government has decided that images of sensitive areas are not a risk, due to poor level of detail.4 It was reported that in the lead-up to the APEC forum in Sydney held in September 2007 certain key locations in images of the city's central business district, where APEC leaders were meeting, might have been intentionally reduced in resolution; however, Google has indicated that the change was unrelated to APEC, while the NSW police said that they knew nothing about the change in Google's images.5 As of December 2007, much of inner Sydney still remains blurred.

The government of Malaysia has stated that it will not ask Google to censor sensitive areas because that would identify the locations it deemed to be sensitive.6

List of map locations with missing or unclear data

Middle East

Iraq

Coordinates Object Comment Link
30°34′2″N 47°46′6″E / 30.56722, 47.76833 (Shatt al Arab Hotel) Shatt al Arab Hotel, Basra 7 Possibly censored due to security risks after Coalition Forces seized insurgent documents which used maps to plan attacks.8 No longer censored. [1]

East / South Asia

Tibet/Xinjiang Province (full) of China, Northern areas of Pakistan (areas include Mansehra (full), Abbottabad (partial), Balakot (full))

Europe

France

Ile du Ramier, Toulouse (Link), the location of the National Organization for Powder and Explosives (preparation of Phosgene for the aerospace industry and other form of explosive gas including Sulfur Mustard). The AZF chemical factory is pixelated, but Google Maps feature links to a detailed photo of the factory.

Germany

Coordinates Object Comment Link
50°57′38″N 6°2′32″E / 50.96056, 6.04222 (NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen) NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen [2]
49°26′28″N 7°35′32″E / 49.44111, 7.59222 (Ramstein Air Base) Ramstein Air Base [3]

The Netherlands

Coordinates Object Comment Link
51°26′54.21″N 03°36′17.60″E / 51.4483917, 3.6048889 (Vlissingen oil tanks) Vlissingen, Oil tanks [4]
51°27′6.63″N 05°22′48.14″E / 51.4518417, 5.3800389 (Eindhoven Airport Air Force Base) Eindhoven Airport Air Force Base [5]
51°33′06.45″N 04°56′5.56″E / 51.5517917, 4.9348778 (Gilze-Rijen Air Base) Gilze-Rijen Air Base [6]
52°05′35.97″N 04°20′39.05″E / 52.093325, 4.3441806 (Huis ten Bosch) Huis ten Bosch residence of the Dutch Royal Family [7]
52°05′41.95″N 05°8′21.38″E / 52.0949861, 5.1392722 (Utrecht centre) centre of Utrecht Apparent mistake9 [8]
52°06′35.68″N 04°19′35.75″E / 52.1099111, 4.3265972 (Nato C3 Agency) Nato C3 Agency [9]
52°07′25.94″N 05°21′30.12″E / 52.1238722, 5.3583667 (Soestdijk Palace) Soestdijk Palace residence of the Dutch Royal Family [10]
52°04′43″N 4°18′58″E / 52.078589, 4.315985 (Department of Defense) Department of Defense [11]
52°08′01.89″N 05°16′23.45″E / 52.1338583, 5.2731806 (Kamp Zeist + Soesterberg Air Force Base) Kamp Zeist (Lockerbie Trials) + Soesterberg Air Force Base [12]
52°04′51.30″N 04°20′12.98″E / 52.0809167, 4.3369389 (New American embassy) New American embassy location, under construction [13]
52°08′16.98″N 04°30′46.29″E / 52.13805, 4.5128583 (Paleis Noordeinde and Royal Stables) Paleis Noordeinde and Royal Stables Work palace of the Dutch Queen [14]
52°14′55.40″N 04°26′22.74″E / 52.2487222, 4.43965 (ESA) part of Noordwijk aan Zee [15]
52°22′28.06″N 04°55′2.06″E / 52.3744611, 4.9172389 (Royal Netherlands Navy base) Amsterdam, Royal Netherlands Navy base [16]
52°23′31.28″N 05°54′48.83″E / 52.3920222, 5.9135639 ('t Harde (1)) 't Harde (1), Army exercise area [17]
52°24′20.49″N 05°53′59.54″E / 52.4056917, 5.8998722 ('t Harde (2)) 't Harde (2), Army exercise area [18]
52°57′26.37″N 04°47′26.30″E / 52.957325, 4.7906389 (Den Helder, Naval installations) Den Helder, Naval installations [19]
52°16′29.38″N 06°53′38.11″E / 52.2748278, 6.8939194 (Twente Air Force Base) Twente Air Force Base [20]

Slovakia

Coordinates Object Comment Link
48°12′56″N 18°06′27″E / 48.215566, 18.107486 (Ivanka pri Nitre) Transgas pipe-line compressor station Ivanka pri Nitre Probably censored by original images vendor [21]
48°34′53″N 20°39′48″E / 48.581377, 20.663341 (Jablonov nad Turňou) Transgas pipe-line compressor station Jablonov nad Turňou Probably censored by original images vendor. Compare with zoomed-out image [22] [23]

Spain

Coordinates Object Comment Link
41°21′47″N 2°09′52″E / 41.363072638666786, 2.164306640625 (Castell de Montjuïc) Castell de Montjuïc No longer censored. [24]

Portugal

Coordinates Object Comment Link
38°45′40″N 27°05′01″W / 38.761178, -27.08353 (Lajes Field) Lajes Field used by US Air Force [25]
38°40′46″N 9°19′19″W / 38.679429, -9.321814 (NATO Base) NATO Base Joint Command - Atlantic NATO Headquarters in Oeiras near Lisbon [26]
38°39′52″N 9°08′53″W / 38.664452, -9.148028 (Base Naval do Alfeite) Base Naval do Alfeite Portuguese Navy Base, near Lisbon. Partial digital censorship. [27]
38°42′29″N 9°02′03″W / 38.708170, -9.03416 (Montijo Base Aerea #6 (Air Base)) Montijo Air Base used by Portuguese Air Force mainly for S&R and Transport purposes. P3 and C 130 Base.See more info under Força Aérea Portuguesa [28]
38°33′05″N 9°06′08″W / 38.55139, -9.10211 (Nato Depot) Nato Fernão Ferro Former Nato ammunition depot [29]
38°33′36″N 9°10′59″W / 38.5601, -9.18314 (Armada Centro de recepção de Comunicações Fonte da Telha) Armada Fonte da Telha Navy Communications Center - Partially visible - Google's error ? [30]
38°42′15″N 9°12′24″W / 38.7042, -9.20677 (Ministério da Defesa) Ministério da Defesa Defense Ministry Offices Lisbon [31]

Russia

Coordinates Object Comment Link
66°16′0″N 179°15′0″E / 66.26667, 179.25 (Egvekinot) Possibly a Russian ICBM Complex, near town Egvekinot, Russia [32] also appears to have been modified on www.mcfly.org. maps.live.com displays a duplicate spliced image of an area to the southeast. [33]

North America

United States

Coordinates Object Comment Link
37°58′47.19″N 84°25′7.97″W / 37.979775, -84.4188806 (Home of William Hurt) Two houses blurred by missing data. Falsely reported as the home of actor William Hurt. Visible on maps.live.com and Google Street View [34]
38°55′16.64″N 77°04′01″W / 38.9212889, -77.06694 (Naval Observatory/Residence of Vice President Dick Cheney) Number One Observatory Circle/Residence of the Vice President of the United States Visible on maps.yahoo.com [35]
39°27′24.7″N 76°09′13.7″W / 39.456861, -76.153806 (Aberdeen Proving Ground) Aberdeen Proving Ground Lower resolution than surrounding areas, with irregular boundaries. [36]
39°29′50.31″N 74°22′36.63″W / 39.4973083, -74.3768417 (Section of Great Bay) Section of Great Bay, near New Jersey. Visible on maps.live.com and Map24 - Visible on Google Earth as of February 2008. [37]
40°52′4.20″N 72°52′25.28″W / 40.8678333, -72.8736889 (Brookhaven National Laboratory) Brookhaven National Laboratory - Upton, New York No longer censored as of July 2008. [38]
40°54′58.42″N 73°07′24.98″W / 40.9162278, -73.1236056 (Stony Brook University) Stony Brook University Visible on maps.live.com on both aerial and bird's eye view with high resolution, also visible on Google Earth. No longer obscured on Google Maps as of July 2008. [39]
41°01′58.78″N 73°46′25.74″W / 41.0329944, -73.7738167 (White Plains train station) White Plains train station [40]
41°15′25.23″N 73°58′48.94″W / 41.2570083, -73.9802611 (Tomkins Cove (quarry?)) Tomkins Cove [41]
41°04′06.76″N 73°42′14.14″W / 41.0685444, -73.7039278 (Westchester County Airport) Westchester County Airport, White Plains, New York [42]
41°10′43.30″N 72°12′23.99″W / 41.1786944, -72.2066639 (Plum Island Animal Disease Center) Plum Island Animal Disease Center Visible on Google Earth as of February 2008. No longer obscured on Google Maps as of July 2008. [43]
40°57′39.86″N 72°51′52.83″W / 40.9610722, -72.864675 (Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant) Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Wading River, New York Decommissioned [44]
41°16′11.08″N 73°57′08.40″W / 41.2697444, -73.952333 (Indian Point Energy Center) Indian Point Energy Center, Westchester, New York [45]
41°21′22.48″N 74°03′13.63″W / 41.3562444, -74.0537861 (Camp Buckner Summer Installation) United States Military Academy Camp Buckner Summer Installation [46]
41°21′22.48″N 74°03′13.63″W / 41.3562444, -74.0537861 (Downstate Correctional Facility) New York State DOCS Downstate Correctional Facility [47]
41°21′22.48″N 74°03′13.63″W / 41.3562444, -74.0537861 (Beacon/Fishkill Correctional Facility) New York State DOCS Beacon/Fishkill Correctional Facility [48]
41°45′08.33″N 70°32′16.49″W / 41.7523139, -70.5379139 (Cape Cod Radar) Cape Cod AFS - PAVE PAWS Radar, Massachusetts [49]
41°56′39.53″N 70°34′40.09″W / 41.9443139, -70.5778028 (Pilgrim Nuclear Station) Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station, Plymouth, Massachusetts [50]
41°40′43″N 88°29′59″W / 41.678489, -88.499851 (Menard Inc. distribution facility) Menards distribution facility, Plano, Illinois No longer censored [51]
42°06′53.032″N 76°49′44.638″W / 42.11473111, -76.82906611 (Elmira Correctional Facility) Elmira Correctional Facility (maximum security prison), Elmira, New York [52]
42°23′09.97″N 71°02′37.60″W / 42.3861028, -71.0437778 (Liquid Natural Gas Terminal) Liquid Natural Gas Terminal, Chelsea, Massachusetts No longer censored [53]
42°23′24.69″N 71°03′34.84″W / 42.3901917, -71.0596778 (Industrial port area) Chelsea, Massachusetts - Large portion of an industrial port area in Boston. No longer censored [54]
42°27′34.56″N 71°16′01.63″W / 42.4596, -71.2671194 (MIT Lincoln Laboratory) MIT Lincoln Laboratory Visible on TerraServer [55]
42°27′47.18″N 71°16′58.87″W / 42.4631056, -71.2830194 (Hanscom Air Force Base) Hanscom Field and Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts [56]
42°31′35.71″N 70°52′35.86″W / 42.5265861, -70.8766278 (Salem Harbor Power Station) Salem Harbor Power Station [57]
42°49′29.24″N 73°52′11.88″W / 42.8247889, -73.8699667 (Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory) Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and General Electric World Research Laboratories, Schenectady, New York Available in high resolution at Microsoft Live Maps; dam on Mohawk River slightly downstream also blurred in Google Maps. [58]
42°53′54.07″N 70°51′08.14″W / 42.8983528, -70.8522611 (Seabrook Nuclear Power Station) Seabrook Nuclear Power Station - Seabrook, New Hampshire [59]
43°06′49.45″N 76°06′41.05″W / 43.1137361, -76.1114028 (Syracuse Hancock International Airport) Syracuse Hancock International Airport - Syracuse, New York [60]
34°47′38.52″N 82°53′44.69″W / 34.7940333, -82.8957472 (Oconee Nuclear Station) Oconee Nuclear Station Oconee County, South Carolina [61]
University of Massachusetts Lowell Nuclear Research Reactor [62]
43°08′32″N 79°02′21″W / 43.14222, -79.03917 (Niagara Falls dams) Hydro-electric dams and supporting waterways near Niagara Falls, NY and Niagara Falls, ON CA. [63]
Central/Eastern village of Yona on the Pacific Island Territory of Guam, "Where America's Day Begins". [64]
MasterCard Corporate Offices/Manhattanville College, Dammann and Tenney Dormitories - Purchase, NY [65]
35°35′53.2″N 80°58′1.08″W / 35.598111, -80.9669667 (Marshall Steam Station) Marshall Steam Station, Terrell, North Carolina Visible on maps.yahoo.com, probably mistakenly blurred for nearby McGuire Nuclear Generating Station [66]
Greater Rochester International Airport - Rochester, New York [67]
General Electric Main Plant - Schenectady, NY [68]
40°55′37.08″N 73°51′14.38″W / 40.9269667, -73.8539944 (Cross County Mall) Cross County Mall - Yonkers, NY Visible on maps.yahoo.com, maps.live.com, and map24.com. The mall, neighborhood and streets have been watercolored in GoogleMaps. [69]
Pennsylvania State University and surrounding area, State College, PA Home to one of the U.S. Navy's top civilian research facilities10 [70]
42°9′36″N 76°53′30″W / 42.16, -76.89167 (Elmira-Corning Regional Airport) Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, Big Flats, NY Facility blurred in Google, but not Live.com [71]

References

External links

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