WASHINGTON – Many put satellite mapping to good use, but there’s new technology that’s prompting warnings about snooping.
The Daily Mail reports Apple and Google will use aerial-deployed technology to help create 3D maps with much more detail than images derived from satellites.
They’re racing to produce maps so detailed they can show objects as small as 4 inches wide. The technology reportedly could show someone sunbathing in their backyard.
Google says it’s already sent planes over some cities. Apple’s spy-in-the-sky technology has been tested on 20 locations, and The Associated Press says the company’s maps will include “flyover” three-dimensional images taken by helicopters hired by the company to fly over major cities.
Big Brother Watch director Nick Pickles warns that privacy is at risk thanks to the next generation of mapping technology. And Amie Stepanovich of the Electronic Privacy Information Center tells the Daily Mail homeowners should be asked to opt in for their property to be shown in high definition.
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