ath3na's talking points

Google has been urged to blur potential targets for terrorists on its Google Earth service by New York state lawmaker Michael Gianaris.

The Queens assemblyman has called on the search engine giant to voluntarily censor images which could put the sensitive infrastructures of many US cities at risk.

Mr Gianaris said in a press conference that federal authorities should work with Google to blur areas which would commonly be targeted by terrorists, including airports and military bases.

It comes after recent reports suggested that a group of terror suspects used Google Earth to plot an attack on a fuel line feeding JFK Airport.

A Google statement said: "Anyone who flies above or drives by a piece of property can obtain similar information.

"Google takes security concerns very seriously, and is always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials."

The move by Gianaris has been met with a mixed response from New York residents, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg questioning its necessity.

"It is a legitimate concern," Mr Bloomberg told the New York Sun. "However, given the number of satellites that can read your license plate from the sky, I think at this point that's not necessarily where a terrorist would go."

Google Earth has proved a popular resource since it was created and recent reports revealed it was helping to prevent illegal encroachment on tribes people's native land in the Amazon.

Company spokeswoman Megan Quinn told the San Francisco Chronicle that awareness of the project would be raised to more than 200 million Google Earth users worldwide.