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Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

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Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#511

Post by seagullz »

Udik wrote: post #499
seagullz wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the US government is dictated by a Israel-first policy. At least in view of the UNSC vetoes [0] and the weapons it supplies. [0] https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/43-times-us-has-used-veto...

The idea that a country might pass internal laws specifically to favour a foreign country is incredible, and gives the measure of how much the US is subservient to Israel's interests.

Beside the bipartisan powers-that-be in the US government, the media landscape is obsequious and willing participant too; see 'peace propaganda and the promised land (2004)' [0]. For instance, it didn't make it to the Paper of Record's newsworthiness that the NSA shares, per the Snowden revelations, US citizen's data with Israel [1][2]; to their credit, though, they lightly lament at occasionally getting used as an accessory to the war machine, outside the traditional route [3].

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-2tEmqM1_E

[1] https://www.haaretz.com/report-nsa-sharing-u-s-citizens-data... It is hard to miss how the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is a lot more no-nonsense in tone and coverage than, say, the NYT.

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-...

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/world/middleeast/israel-g...

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#512

Post by sneak »

humaniania wrote: post #432
freewizard wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I learned a few years back about this is the official (un)obfuscating implementation was distributed to licensed companies in binary .dll/.so/.a , and not allowed to be redistributed or reverse-engineered. Licenses are only given to local companies, and foreign companies may only buy service from them. That's why if you reverse engineer Google Map or Apple Map app, they all make real time API calls to do the con…

"they all make real time API calls to do the conversion on servers" Can't imagine why anyone would want that to happen.....

You seem to be implying surveillance. I think the actual answer is "because if the library were downloadable, the algorithm used for military physical security would be quickly reverse-engineered."

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#513

Post by 2rsf »

DSingularity wrote: post #161
Trias11 wrote: post #135

The questions are: - Does Google deliberatly blurring Gaza strip? - Who benefits by artificially degraded quality of Gaza maps? - Does Google quietly taking political sides?

- Yes. - Israel. - Yes, see how they took a position on the heart of this issue — the occupied territories themselves. They literally erased Palestine from the map.

Palestine with it's borders comes up perfectly with my Google maps

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#514

Post by 2rsf »

canada_dry wrote: post #48

Organizations/NGOs heavily rely on satellite imagery (i) to assist in delivering many humanitarian efforts. It would seem useful for the UN to strongly prohibit the diminishing of such capability. (i) www.hotosm.org

Generally? maybe, but Gaza is a tiny, urban well mapped place

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#515

Post by 2rsf »

itsbits wrote: post #455

It can be conspiracy or may be not. For example Indian cities doesn't have clear images as US cities. Sometime back, I tried finding reason for same. Apparently, Google not just use satellite images. It gets aerial images from planes as well. Obviously, Google didn't pay for aerial images of Indian cities. This can be a reason for Israel as well.

I don't think it's a conspiracy- Israel admit that it requested Google to lower image resolution. The question is the reason behind it

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#516

Post by oldnews193 »

wombatmobile wrote: post #509
mvzvm wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Call me cynical, but I suspect the more important reason to keep these images blurred might be to stop the rest of the world from seeing what is going on. No, not cynical. I will call it for what it is - baseless conspiracy.

I’m curious how Palestinian people live. I’d like to see the condition of their dwellings, infrastructure and resources eg water, roads, rail, ports, public spaces. I just want to get a feel for the place, like I can almost everywhere else. How can I do that?

Come and visit. As far as I understand, foreigners do not have much trouble visiting the West Bank.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#518

Post by runarberg »

mvzvm wrote: post #367
jussij wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Israel can get all the detailed imagery it needs by just launching a reconnaissance aircraft or drone. So on that basis I would say it only stops the Palestinians from getting imagery of the area. Now considering the fact Palestine only has rockets and not missiles, I doubt that imagery is of much value to them. Call me cynical, but I suspect the more important reason to keep these images blurred might be to stop the…

> Call me cynical, but I suspect the more important reason to keep these images blurred might be to stop the rest of the world from seeing what is going on. No, not cynical. I will call it for what it is - baseless conspiracy.

Parent provided some (albeit weak) basis for the conspiracy. Israel trying to hide the damage it is inflicting is a credible motive. Cynicism is a justified qualifier for the claim, baseless conspiracy isn’t.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#519

Post by 2rsf »

andyxor wrote: post #325

probably for the same reason Israel is blurred, to protect it against terrorist attacks, and the algorithm is probably dumb enough to bundle Israel and Gaza into one territory in some geo index

I bet on that although this is really stupid since houses and roads are clearly visible and most of Israel is mapped at street level as well

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#520

Post by golergka »

deanCommie wrote: post #384
golergka wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same reason that this conflict always gets the same optics in international media — jewish lives are worth less. At first, as you don't want to believe it, you argue, you investigate, you really try to find any sane reason that while these things are happening on ground with you and your family, everybody else still sees a different picture, and then you just come to realisation that there's no other explanation for…

But more Palestenian lives are being lost. Purely from a numbers perspective if you put aside all other variables or blame, wouldn't that explain why one side is being criticized extra right now?

> Purely from a numbers perspective if you put aside all other variables

Why would you put aside variables that are more important to casualty numbers? It's not a symmetrical situation.

One side tries to increase casualty numbers on both sides of the conflict.

The other side tries to decrease casualty numbers on both sides of the conflict.

How would comparing casualty numbers in this situation tell you anything about the conflict?

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