Google Earth worries the military, but there's little to be done

What would King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain think of Google Earth? They would see riches and new worlds to be to be exploited, and that is precisely what the the head of U.S. Air Force intelligence and surveillance is afraid of now that now anyone with a credit card can access the world's satellite imagery, reports Reuters.

The advent of Google Earth has made online mapping software commercially available and that has the Defense Department worried about potential security issues. But Lt. Gen. David Deptula, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, realizes that it can't be rolled back now that the cat is out of the bag.

"To talk about danger is, if I may, really irrelevant because it's there," said Deptula. "No one's going to undo commercial satellite imagery. It is huge," he said. "It's something that was a closely guarded secret not that long ago, and now everybody's got access to it."

Asked if the military could restrict the technology in any way, he said, "I don't want to speak to specifics, but not that I'm aware of." The Department of Defense has used the tried and true method of camouflage, concealment and deception, said Deptula, offering no other details.