Gianaris To Google: 'Change Maps So Terrorists Can't Use Them'
BY JOHN TOSCANO

"Google should provide a service for its customers, not a tool for terrorists. If it were not for the outstanding efforts of law enforcement, Google would have inadvertently provided the blueprint for an attack which could have killed or injured countless New Yorkers,"

Concerned that terrorists who plotted to blow up fuel tanks at Kennedy Airport used Google Earth to determine where their target was, Assemblymember Michael Gianaris has once again called on Google to take steps to remove detailed descriptions of what could be terrorist targets.

"We dodged the bullet this time, but might not be as lucky in the future," Gianaris said. "We cannot wait for disaster to strike before taking common sense steps to avoid facilitating an attack."

Gianaris (D- Astoria) said that according to several published reports, detailed satellite images of the airport and surrounding gas pipelines were secured by the plotters using Google Earth when all other ways of learning these positions were unsuccessful.

Four alleged terrorists were arrested in the plot, which targeted the tank farms at JFK. The plotters expected there would be a chain reaction which would set off explosions of the gas pipeline network in various Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods. The pipeline runs from JFK to the gas terminal in New Jersey.

An FBI informant infiltrated the cell of plotters and arrests were made before any damage was done to the gas pipeline.

The JFK terror plot confirmed that Gianaris' warnings to Google, made two years ago, but ignored by the company, should have been addressed when the original warning was given. Now they must be dealt with immediately, the lawmaker said.

"Google should provide a service for its customers, not a tool for terrorists. If it were not for the outstanding efforts of law enforcement, Google would have inadvertently provided the blueprint for an attack which could have killed or injured countless New Yorkers," Gianaris pointed out.

Over the course of the past two years, Gianaris has written letters of warning to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, alerting him to the security risks inherent in the Google Earth program. In one dated Aug. 19, 2005, the legislator stated: "Satellite images offer detailed aerial views of sensitive locations that could provide terrorists with a virtual blueprint of potential targets [such as] power plants, airports, transportation hubs, stadiums and landmark buildings."

Responding to the 2005 letter, the company said all of the images used in Google Earth and Google Maps is commercially available and much of it comes from the United States government.

A spokesperson for Google, responding to Gianaris' renewed warning, said anyone can obtain similar information which Google provides merely by flying over or driving by any piece of property.

Gianaris has been a leader in efforts to improve anti-terror measures in New York. He authored the state's Energy Security Act, which led to enhanced security at power plants and chemical storage facilities. The law, which was one of the first major anti-terror laws enacted after 9/11, gave the New York state Office of Homeland Security oversight of safety measures at critical infrastructure sites, Gianaris said.