Google Street Maps photographed and display the gate and perimeter of the headquarters of the British Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment – the unit from which Delta Force was descended.
The Brits are not amused:
Military chiefs and MPs blasted internet giant Google today after its Street View service included detailed pictures of the headquarters of the SAS.
Internet users can peer around the entrance to Credenhill, Herefordshire, which has never before appeared on maps for security reasons.
On the one hand, the Brits have a long tradition of keeping their special forces out of the public eye (although not all of the Regiment’s former members cooperate).
On the other hand…:
MPs and military top brass have demanded Google removes the pictures, claiming it makes the SAS a target for terrorist attacks.
Lib Dem Hereford MP Paul Keetch said: ‘The footage is simply not acceptable during a time of perceived terrorism…’I wouldn’t want a terrorist to be inspired by these pictures and it would be appalling if any help at all was given to our enemies.
‘We all know where the Palace of Westminister is, we all know where the SAS camp is, but the issue is if you’re going into such detail in such a way that you can undermine the security of that building, that could be a problem.’
…attacking the SAS’ headquarters seems a bit like diving into the tiger pen at the zoo to fight for the Big Mac you just dropped.
Your analogy to the tiger pen is an apt comparison….if you’re referring to attackers who value their own life (or others). But if the potential attacker is a suicide bomber, think they much care as long as they take a tiger or two with them?
Apparently anyone can drive by and photograph it like Google did. I very much doubt that a view visible from a public street comprised a security risk at all.
I also doubt any Special Operations Force worth its sand-colored beret would put anything sensitive within any kind of view of a public road.
But the Brits have a long history of erring waaaaay on the side of caution when it comes to this sort of thing.