Big Brother in the Sky

The next time you look up into the sky, be aware that someone may be looking back at you.

From HuffPo and TechXav...

High-tech eyes in the sky – from satellite imagery to sophisticated aerial photography that maps entire communities – are being employed in creative new ways by government officials, a trend that civil libertarians and others fear are eroding privacy rights.

Online services like Google and Bing give users very detailed images of practically any location on the planet.

• Google Earth images helped identify about 250 Riverhead, NY homes where residents failed to get building permits certifying their swimming pools complied with safety regulations.
• In Greece, officials are struggling with a debt crisis and have sought to catch tax-evaders by using satellite photos to spot undeclared swimming pools – indicators of taxable wealth.
• In Florida a deputy was able to track down and arrest a man on charges of illegally dumping a boat near his home with satellite pictures provided by Google Earth.
• Swiss cops managed to discover a two-acre-large planation hidden in a field of corn while using Google Earth. This tip led them to solving a bigger part of their investigation of an alleged drug ring.