GOOGLE AND APPLE START USING PLANES WTIH MILITARY GRADE CAMERAS TO LOOK IN YOUR WINDOWS
Apple’s new military-grade cameras are understood to be so powerful they could potentially see into homes through skylights and windows. Apple’s spy planes are believed to be equipped with technology developed by defence agencies to guide missile strikes. Each plane is equipped with multiple cameras taking high-resolution photographs of buildings and landmarks from every possible angle, which are then compiled to make three-dimensional images. The military-grade images are taken at a height of around 1,600ft, meaning people below are very unlikely to realise they are being photographed. The cameras can be installed on planes, helicopters or even unmanned drones. The technology is similar to that used by intelligence agencies in identifying terrorist targets in  Afghanistan.   Google will use its spy planes to help create 3D maps with much more detail than its satellite-derived Google Earth images. Little has been revealed about the technology involved in the spy planes used to capture the aerial images. But they are thought to be able to photograph around 40 square miles every hour. Like Google Maps, the resulting images would not be streamed live to computers but would provide a snapshot image of the moment the camera passed by. Amie Stepanovich, of the  Electronic Privacy Information Centre said she believed Apple and Google would be forced to blur out homes in the same way Street View pixellates faces. Homeowners need to be asked to opt in to show their property in high definition  otherwise it should be blurred out. Apple has previously used Google for its mapping services but last year it emerged it had bought C3 Technologies, a 3D mapping company that uses technology developed by Saab AB, the aerospace and defence company. At the time C3 had already mapped 20 cities and it is believed to have added more with Apple’s backing. Its photographs have been shot from 1,600ft and one C3 executive described it as ‘Google on steroids’. Some have suggested that the military and police will be the true beneficiaries of this technology. By getting Apple and Google to do their dirty work they will stay out of the limelight and avoid the negative publicity that would be created if the military did it.
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