California May Censor Google Earth

Following reports that terrorists in India and Israel were using Google Earth in planning attacks, California lawmaker Joel Anderson has introduced a bill (AB 255) in the California Assembly to force censorship of potential targets:

"(a) An operator of a commercial Internet Web site or online service that makes a virtual globe browser available to members of the public shall not provide aerial or satellite photographs or imagery of a building or facility in this state that is identified on the Internet Web site by the operator as a school or place of worship, or a government or medical building or facility, unless those photographs or images have been blurred.

"(b) An operator of a commercial Internet Web site or online service that makes a virtual globe browser available to members of the public shall not provide street view photographs or images of the buildings and facilities described in subdivision (a)."

ASSEMBLY BILL No. 255