Bruce Schneier argues that calls to ban mapping tools like Google Earth because they could be used for terrorism would harm society as much as "if we banned cars because bank robbers used them too."

An Indian Court has been called to ban Google Earth amid suggestions the online satellite imaging was used to help plan the terror attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month.

The terrorists who struck Mumbai last month stunned authorities not only with their use of sophisticated weaponry but also with their comfort with modern technology, including satellite imagery and VOIP Internet phones to avoid surveillance.

Amnesty International and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) are collaborating on Eyes on Darfur (eyesondarfur.org), a Web site that shows before and after satellite images of areas the human rights organizations believe are, or could be at risk of, being under siege.

The imagery provided by Google Earth and other commercial satellites has transformed global security in fundamental ways, forcing even the most powerful nations to hide facilities and activities that are visible not only to rival nations, but even to their own citizens.

The sharpest commercial imaging satellite ever launched is now orbiting the Earth, sweeping over the North Pole and under the South Pole every 98 minutes, collecting high-resolution images of the scene below. From 423 miles up, the GeoEye-1 satellite can spot objects as small as 16 inches across.

The world's first and highest resolution commercial imagery satellite, the Google-sponsored GeoEye-1, has achieved first light, returning a 0.5 meter resolution satellite image of a small university in Pennslyvania. The imagery is the first .5 meter image to be released since the U.S. defense department allowed domestic firms to sell imagery below 1 meter resolution.

The Pentagon has approved plans to buy and launch two commercial-class imagery satellites for intelligence gathering. However, the decision still awaits approval as it conflicts with national security space policy that directs the government to buy as much commercial imagery as possible to help U.S. companies withstand competition from subsidized foreign satellite companies.

Widely available high-resolution commercial satellite imagery is making governments around the world awfully nervous.

The secret site where Iran is suspected of developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets in Europe has been uncovered by new satellite photographs.