Beijing (China) – The Chinese government is chastising several online providers, including Google maps, for providing “illegal” satellite imagery of the country and neighboring islands.  Min Yiren, the deputy director of China’s State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM), says as many as 10,000 online maps are illegal and publish sensitive information or incorrectly depict national borders.

"Some websites publish sensitive or confidential geographical information, which might leak state secrets and threaten national security," Yiren said.

The SBSM and eight other departments are currently examining thousands of online maps and the government is threatening to shut down or block any sites which do not make the “required corrections”.

While China is apparently miffed at the disclosure of its secret (well not any more) submarine base near Hainan, the country is also concerned about online map providers labeling Taiwan as a separate country.  In addition, China wants several disputed island chains including the South China Islands, Diaoyu Islands and Chiwei Island to be labeled as belonging to China.  The islands are currently claimed by several countries including Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan.

China certainly has the power to shut down servers in the country, its can only block access – through the Chinese firewall – to foreign providers.

illegal

May 07, 2008 10:07     

a picture is a picture. how illegal is it? it there in plain old view from outerspace and is non of their business. If they wanted to, they can band google.
ha report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

Islands improperly listed?

May 07, 2008 10:19     

I think Google is probably just going by the labels that they have for those islands. China should let the UN decide who they belong to and not force Google to list them as part of China if they are dispute as to who they belong to.
TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +6

Hazards of global information

May 07, 2008 10:34     

What is illegal in one is not in another.
Shane report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

arrogant and antisocial

May 07, 2008 10:36     

if the Chinese government just can't drop the arrogant and antisocial behavior, why don't they firewall Google as well? Google's maps are according to the borders determined by the UN. it's tough luck for China they just can't lay down to the decisions made by a vast majority. they themselves surpress minorities yet they find it unacceptable when a majority has comments on them. countries like China and N. Korea are like the dork in the classroom who pretends to be tough but is secretly being laughed at by everyone.

johnnyrico report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

Go Google!

May 07, 2008 10:40     

Fuck China. They're just pissed at Google for uncovering their "secret" sub, or sub base.
Big Dong report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

so sayth google

May 07, 2008 10:53     

If google says that is where the border is that is where the border is. Suck it china. If you can see it from space its not exactly secret. Google don't take nothin from nobody and that is why we trust them.
patirkc report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

Cold War part II

May 07, 2008 11:31     

Kind of anyway. China wants our money but wants nothing to do with our human rights. I wish the free countries of the world wouldn't do business with them but what can you do.
Action Jackson report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +9

All your base, er... island are belong to us.

May 07, 2008 11:58     

You are on the way to destruction. You have no chance to survive make your time.
CATS report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

So if china gets google to take down,

May 07, 2008 12:30     

Where will I be able to download the illegal maps? Is it possible to obtain the entire earth database on my pc? Or will anyone be uploading "the real images" It would be cool to obtain true images of people, cars, military bases and so on, before google allways alters truth, that is actually History.
Sorbitol report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1

You people are idiots.

May 07, 2008 13:17     

That was a funny post and you did not publish it.
CATS report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -5

Their battle with Google Earth started with ...

May 07, 2008 14:34     

... when a scale model the Chinese military built of a part of India became visible to the world. China grabbed Aksai Chin in their 1962 war with India. Why the Chinese military would recently build a 900 x 700 meter extremely detailed replica of long-occupied territory got people talking. Google Earth forum: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/484568/
Nigel Williams report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

The US government had worked with Google.

May 07, 2008 17:01     

Google had blanked out some areas upon US government's request. I don't see why other nations cannot do the same.
Doug_d report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

China's Brute Tactics

May 07, 2008 18:00     

Leave it to the oldest nation on the planet to shun technology that could undermind them, the problem with China is it has been around for far too long anhd hunderds of years of repaying favors to poloticians has created such an oppressive culture... if america was givin that same amount of time we would have no freedoms...
SilverDraco report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

"so sayth google"....

May 07, 2008 20:22     

So am I to understand that Google=God?? Maybe someone needs a google-botomy!
deb report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -2

It's funny ...

May 07, 2008 20:33     

It's funny to see how many people are talking about China without a little background of China.
momogeek report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -5

Google puts the capitol outside of China!

May 08, 2008 09:13     

How can Taiwan be a separate country? It is the capitol of China. People need to stop pandering to the rebels in Beijing.
Ralf The Dog report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

it is true. Tiber should be outside china.

May 08, 2008 09:45     

Google showed it illegal inside china...
FreeTibet report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

RE : Secret sub Base.

May 08, 2008 15:34     

Somehow, I think that the US has better images than any satellite pictures on Google Maps. China is just being silly.
Ralf The Dog report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2