In days gone by , being a spy was a tough job . It require imperturbable nerve , a briefcase full of lethal gizmo , and a manageable drinking problem . Now , all you demand is a smartphone .
According tolocal media reports , an update of Google Maps show detailed images of sensitive military facility in Taiwan , including the National Security Bureau , the Military Intelligence Bureau , and a launching situation for their US - made Patriot missiles . you could even make out the missiles from the maps .
The structure were unveil after Google released an extension of its original artificial satellite single-valued function of four Taiwanese city – Taipei , New Taipei , Taoyuan , and Taichung – that provide users to zoom into urban environments and see 3D renderings of buildings .
Taiwan is presently in the thick oflongstanding geopolitical tensionwith China regarding the political position of Taiwan . In the simplest terms potential , China believes that Taiwan is part of their state , but many Formosan people want independence . The US is a close ally of Taiwan and regularly provide the island with arms , include some cover to be seeable in the image .
Taiwan ’s Defense Minister Yen Teh - fa said that the news is not too much of a internal security risk as they are not presently at war , but they will be closely work with the big boys in Silicone Valley to play out some appropriate adjustments . Speaking toThe South China Morning Post , another defensive structure official reaffirmed this , saying “ the secret component part are all inside the structures which would be highly difficult to expose through the 3D mathematical function . ”
Nevertheless , this is not the first time Google Maps has spiked the eyebrow of interior security in Taiwan . Back in 2016 , Taiwan ask Google to blur their images showing a suspected military installation on Itu Aba , a small island in the heatedly disputed South China Sea , according toReuters .
In a subtler nervure , GPS data from ajogging app was used to highlight thelocation of military facilities , including the NSA and Area 51 . Strava , the example app , released “ hotness function ” record the prevail paths of their drug user across the domain . Unfortunately , many member of military personnel forgot to turn off their data sharing and their course traced the lineation of military frontier settlement . Doh !
