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Google plants forests in Holland: amateurish censorship in Maps

Ernst-Jan Written on August 7, 2008 – 4:44 pm
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief

The controversial Dutch blog GeenStijl (translation: no style, wiki here) received an anonymous tip today saying Google censors certain parts of their Maps. We’re not talking about the regular “Google Blur” that hides military bases and government buildings, but a different - more evil so you want - kind of censorship. The thing is, the Mountain View-based company plants forests in Holland. Some Google employee has replicated a small part of forest to hide a certain object on the terrain of Castle Engelenburg near Eerbeek, Gelderland.

And there also is a second bush, left from the water, that also doesn’t exist. Livemaps, the mapping service by Microsoft, also shows a forest, but this one looks “better”.

According to GeenStijl, neighbors say there was “something weird” going on with European subsidies and nature areas. Anyhow, Google Maps secretly censors its satellite photos, that’s for sure.

I hope you like that post!

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About the author: Ernst-Jan is blogger and co-organizer of BLOG08, who previously worked in New York to cover news at the United Nations. Next to writing, he's also a singer in the band Christina Five. Follow him on Twitter or read his personal blog Dutchproblogger.com .

4 comments to “Google plants forests in Holland: amateurish censorship in Maps”

  1. By G on Aug 7, 2008

    no secrets here…

    and no: elvis doesn’t live here…

    that spot is on the border of two pictures…

    [Reply]

  2. By Tim Molendijk on Aug 9, 2008

    The fact that both Google Maps and Live Maps show the same forest while not using the same photos should have made you a bit suspicious, don’t you agree?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/2.....741919972/

    [Reply]

  3. By Edo van Royen on Aug 10, 2008

    Might be, but if it was on the border of two pictures, why is the bush across from the lake also photoshopped ? Seems to me it’s too close to be another border.

    [Reply]

  4. By adam on Aug 14, 2008

    isnt it just where a few images have joined together? i cant see google or microsoft spending the time to track down satellite images and edit them in photoshop …….

    [Reply]

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