Apple Maps Accidentally Reveals Secret Military Base In Taiwan 131
redletterdave writes "After one Taiwanese newspaper snapped and printed a satellite photo of a top-secret military base from the new Maps application running on an iPhone 5, the defense ministry of Taiwan on Tuesday publicly requested Apple blur the sensitive images of the country's classified military installations. The top-secret radar base, located in the northern county of Hsinchu, contains a highly-advanced ultra-high-frequency long-range radar that military officials say can detect missiles launched as far away as the city of Xinjiang, which is located in northwest China. The radar system was obtained via U.S.-based defense group Raytheon in 2003, and is still being constructed with hopes to be completed by the end of this year. 'Regarding images taken by commercial satellites, legally we can do nothing about it,' said David Lo, the spokesman of Taiwan's defense ministry, in a statement to reporters. 'But we'll ask Apple to lower the resolution of satellite images of some confidential military establishments the way we've asked Google in the past.'"
Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:5, Funny)
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They found it when they were actually searching for the nearest Burger King in Gary, Indiana.
Hey when you have a feature that Google doesn't, you gotta show it off to demonstrate your superiority!
Re:Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:5, Funny)
> Turn left at the Pacific Ocean and continue for 6000 miles.
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What? Your car isn't amphibious? Whattaloooser!
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I actually passed one on the freeway just the other day. Looked very much like this one: http://montaraventures.com/pix/amphicar.jpg [montaraventures.com]
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That's when you hoist the main mast, me matey, and shiver me timbers and other jaunty, nautical double entendres!
Re:Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:4, Informative)
If Apple has images of it....you know the other side already had even higher resolution images of it long ago.....(likely with previously stolen US technology).
Re:Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:4, Insightful)
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Then you dismantle the entire base and replace it with paper mache and blow-up objects so that the potential enemy targets a fake base while you re-build it in secret
Shake, bake and repeat
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Then you dismantle the entire base and replace it with paper mache and blow-up objects so that the potential enemy targets a fake base while you re-build it in secret
Shake, bake and repeat
"blow-up objects" is an unfortunate turn of phase, given the context. Perhaps "inflatable" might have been less ambiguous? ;-)
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Besides, all their base are belong to the US anyway.
Re:Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:5, Funny)
Message from the ministry of defense to Apple and everyone else:
"We are sorry to ask you Apple so bluntly to follow our strict privacy rules, but this as a matter of the highest importance for our country and therefore we demand:
That the pictures taken from our Ultra Top Secret Defense facility be blurred immediately
The top-secret radar base, located [Full address with detailed instructions about how to get there quickly + nice hotels and restaurants nearby] , contains a highly-advanced ultra-high-frequency long-range radar that can detect missiles launched as far away as the city of Xinjiang.
The radar system was obtained via U.S.-based defense group Raytheon in 2003 for $1.23 billions, you will see in attachment a copy of the receipt and the names, addresses and phone numbers of the diplomats and businessmen involved in the super secret project so that you can confirm those figures, should you need to
This Top secret facility is operated by over 250 trained soldiers and scientists. There are 25 dogs protecting the north and west areas, 35 people shift turns every 3 hours to protect the rest of it, except at lunch since they all lunch together
Again, blur the pictures immediately as they are a threat to our top secret facility "
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http://goo.gl/maps/XfYm3 [goo.gl] Look at step 16
Well you always stop at Hawaii, this just infers your on the ground when you travel..
Which for me would be very nice for a change.
I've been to Hawaii four times and never once got off the plane, either it was a quick fuel stop.or raining too hard.
.
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Don't be silly! You can't take this route!
Didn't you see the note on step 21?
Slight left onto HI-80 S/Kamehameha Hwy
Continue to follow Kamehameha Hwy 2.1 mi
This road is closed until 28 Oct!
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This route may have road closures.
*Sprays drink through nose upon keyboard
Why isn't there a route with a ferry through the Bering strait nowadays? The wonderful, carbon-dioxide induced temperatures should make that one easy to pull off, you'd think ;)
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Things are improving. It used to involve swimming or kayaking across the Pacific. At least now you can take a sailboat.
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http://goo.gl/maps/XfYm3 [goo.gl]
Look at step 16
Looks like you can also walk, but not bike or "transit" that route.
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https://maps.google.com/maps?q=from:+japan+to:+china&saddr=japan&daddr=china&hl=en&sll=33.728725,121.197535&sspn=24.456251,44.560547&geocode=FRhxKAIdfJI9CCkvGX_XD05nNDFEUmZ81HVC9Q%3BFZw0IwIdReU1BinBQsblZI5QMTFvNp80fKodlQ&dirflg=d&t=m&z=5 [google.com]
Step 41.
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It's like the real-world equivalent of stumbleupon, only you lose your address bar and can't use a traditional search engine.
Re:Probably weren't even looking for it. (Score:4, Funny)
Please. We're talking about Taiwan. Let's not insult Taiwan like that - Taiwan has not stooped to the level of Gary, Indiana.
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So, they were suicidal, then?
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They found it when they were actually searching for the nearest Burger King in Gary, Indiana.
And it was labeled Streisand Air Base.
Xinjiang (Score:5, Informative)
Slight correction, Xinjiang is a province not a city. And a very lovely part of the country to visit.
Re:Xinjiang (Score:4, Informative)
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A country that would have to force a company in another, much more powerful country. Any attempt to lean on Apple must consider the possibility of angering the US government.
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True, but given the station was created by an American DoD contractor, the US might not want the images visible either. Especially if they use the same technology.
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china: "mmm fung pei! finally we have excuse... prepare 10,000 nuclear missiles for launch, and prepare our 1,000,000,000 soldiers to finish them off"
russia: "quickly, follow the chinese because all our stuff is a bit rusty so let them take the brunt... long live the mighty Soviet Union!"
iran: "quick lets fuck up israel while the US is busy"
north korea: "ahh harrow!... taiwan d
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please, it is not the 1960's anymore and nobody really buys that whole 'enemy going to launch tonight if we fail to show absolute strength'
More likely that Taiwan wants to have more Apple plants built there and does not want to piss them off
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enemy going to launch tonight if we fail to show absolute strength
funny... sounds like the foundation of current US foreign and defense policy to me
and winner = NONE (Score:2)
after all of that.
Re:what a reasonable way to solve a problem (Score:5, Funny)
And then France is all "Fire le missles!"
"But I am le tired."
"Well then have a nap. THEN FIRE LE MISSLES"
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Re:what a reasonable way to solve a problem (Score:5, Informative)
But sir, do we surrender before or after we file the missiles?
That is a tired such a tired joke.
Of 125 major European wars since 1495, the French have fought in 50, more than Austria (47) and England (43).
Out of a total 168 battles since 387BC, they won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.
-- Stephen Fry, QI season 6 episode 5.
Not bad for a bunch of surrender monkeys. Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies. If you occupants of the Anglo Saxon cultural bubble want to call anybody a bunch of 'Surrender Mokeys' it's us Germans. We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
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That is a tired such a tired joke.
Not only is worn out, but the irony seems to be lost on Americans who don't exactly have the best record in winning wars (Korea, Vietnam, Iraq twice an Afghanistan). And the biggest single victory in US military history (against England) was because they were saved by the French.
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We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
And you just surrendered a 3rd time :-)
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>We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
At least Germany put up a good fight in both cases.
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Not bad for a bunch of surrender monkeys. Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies. If you occupants of the Anglo Saxon cultural bubble want to call anybody a bunch of 'Surrender Mokeys' it's us Germans. We did after all surrender twice in the last century, the French only once.
Understand that we are not actually calling French surrender monkeys because we felt they surrendered. In reading books on WW2, although we called the French many things as the war went on, I have not seen that they surrendered come up as an issue during the war. Instead, it is just a cheap shot because of post war politics. It was mostly Charles De Gaulle and France's insults to the US and Britain that set things off. Post war France was determined to be a superpower again and burned a lot of bridges in t
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Disclaimer: I'm a German and we were, after all, responsible for that oft mentioned surrender but we also admire courage and tenacity even in our (thankfully former) enemies.
Well and to be frank any nation on earth would have ended up surrendering if they were in the situation of having a long land border with Germany at the start of that war. Nobody was ready for Blitzkrieg and the only reason the UK and US weren't in the same boat as France is because they were protected by the English Channel and the Atlantic freaking Ocean respectively.
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I agree. The spokesman says "legally we can do nothing about it," but Taiwan is a country, for crying out loud!
There is something called "international law" that applies to acts between countries.
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And you can point to the applicable law? Color me doubtful.
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And you can point to the applicable law? Color me doubtful.
Exactly.
There is no law that applies to this situation, which is why they said, "legally we can do nothing about it..."
Uh, maybe... (Score:5, Funny)
The images of a base showed up, so they gave everyone the specs and capabilities of the radar system in their request to hide the base again? That doesn't seem very clever.
"Dear Google, we see you're showing images of Area 51. This is the base where we hide all the alien corpses and spacecraft we've collected over the years, so we'd really appreciate it if you blur the aerial photography. Thanks!"
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The images of a base showed up, so they gave everyone the specs and capabilities of the radar system in their request to hide the base again? That doesn't seem very clever.
"Dear Google, we see you're showing images of Area 51. This is the base where we hide all the alien corpses and spacecraft we've collected over the years, so we'd really appreciate it if you blur the aerial photography. Thanks!"
That part seemed a little bit odd to me too. Only thing I can think of is that it's their way of telling China that there's nothing for them to worry about without actually saying that.
Re:Uh, maybe... (Score:4, Insightful)
Indeed.
More seriously, though, China has its own spy satellites and certainly has detailed aerial imagery of Taiwan probably in excess of the quality available to commercial imaging satellites. This information being known to the public isn't really going to change anything -- it's not like the average person is going to be able to do anything to a radar installation on a military base.
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Ditto. Anyone with the reason and the capability to do anything about the radar installation already has access to satellite imagery that far surpasses that of Maps.
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Right. However, this is a public acknowledgement of Taiwan having a secret military base. China publicly blasts Taiwan in the media all the time, but is mostly ok with the current state of things behind closed doors. I wouldn't be surprised if China ends up making some sort of show about this, just to save face.
Re:Uh, maybe... (Score:4, Interesting)
You don't say? [kitsapsun.com]
How about an above average militant? [yahoo.com]
There is quite a leap from protester (or militant) with access to low resolution imagery and state military with access to state-launched spy satellite high resolution imagery. For instance, the state military is unlikely to launch an attack unless the leadership of that country has decided instigate a de facto war. The "average person," on the other hand, has little other means for obtaining details concerning internal security fences, obscured lines of sight, illuminated and non-illuminated areas, etc. The sort of information that you'd need to plan an infiltration in advance.
There is quite a difference, but you either fail to appreciate it or do not care. Military personnel both appreciate the difference and care. Most people with a passing knowledge of military history apprecite the difference and care.
So... no.
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I'm sure that if China wanted lower-level aerial footage of the base they could have it. Taiwan isn't that big - I'm sure aircraft pass over most of it all the time, and you don't have to pass directly over a location to take a photo.
Plus, I'd think the more sensitive thing about a fancy radar station would be its emissions, and those aren't exactly easy to hide if it can scan targets on the far side of China (though no doubt they operate it differently in peacetime).
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If you think back to the Cold War, that's why the U.S.S.R. and U.S. would probe the other side. Send a single plane into the airspace, and sure the radars would light it up, and the alert crews would be launched. Next time, send a few, or from a different direction...always looking for gaps in coverage.
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Maybe this is just an inflatable facility. Requesting it be blurred a *little* makes it seem more realistic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dummy_tank [wikipedia.org]
Re:Uh, maybe... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Uh, maybe... (Score:5, Interesting)
The images of a base showed up, so they gave everyone the specs and capabilities of the radar system in their request to hide the base again? That doesn't seem very clever.
You know, there may be at least a very small chance that they were not entirely forthcoming when they disclosed the capabilities and purpose of the facility in question...
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Those poor 2-stars generals, first it's the cows [dailychilli.com] that attack and expose their secret base.
Now Apple does the same.
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Dear Taiwan,
if you tell us where all your secret bases are we'll make sure they are blurred. Send us an email with coordinates.
Apple
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If I'm a terrorist and I have a truck loaded with explosives, I don't think I'm going to drive said truck onto a military base and try to blow up a radar system. You have to match capability with intent.
There are plenty of high profile targets to choose from, without hitting a hardened military installation. And as I've mentioned earlier, anyone with the capability AND the reason to do anything about the radar installation already has access to satellite imagery that far surpasses that of Maps.
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Why? You'd figure those who want clear pictures of the installation for "nefarious" purposes has the means to obtain them.
It's under construction, so maybe it's partly a request to keep things blurred going forward to conceal progress and the final look.
Silly Taiwanese people. You DON'T request Apple. (Score:5, Funny)
Silly Taiwanese people. You don't request Apple for anything. You beg. You pray. You hope. But you DON'T speak to The Apple unless spoken to by The Apple. Commoners!
Chi-coms already know (Score:1)
My guess is that the mainline Chinese already know all about it. I wouldn't sweat it.
Apple? (Score:1)
Good for something... (Score:5, Funny)
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Headline click fodder (Score:3)
Headline makes it sound like Apple made some sort of error and gave aid and comfort to an enemy... somewhere.
The base happens to be there in a photo. Owners of base are asking for it to be blurred. Your slow news day will now come to a close. (cue national anthem)
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Apple clickbait is the only thing keeping slashdot threads going these days. (Well, that and anything relating to "outrageous" copyright enforcement.)
Oops. you mean we can't show everything on earth? (Score:2)
Apple is going to offer a new section on the App store called "Apps for Spys"...
In other news . . . (Score:4, Funny)
In other news, a giant art sculpture designed to be visible from space located in the northernmost reaches of Siberia is mysteriously blurry when viewed from the latest satellite photography through Apple's new maps application.
Streisand Effect (Score:5, Interesting)
Is it me, or is blurring/removing something from these maps the absolute ideal way to tell the entire world: "There's something really important to someone here."
I can see the conversation now. "How do I get to the Secret Base?" -- "Take a left and follow the road until it disappears on your map, then you're there."
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People who care already know there's something really important there. What they may not know is the precise building/street layout.
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Which makes it perfect for misdirection.
Taiwan: "Apple, you must immediately remove all images of this minor air-defense outpost."
Apple: "OK. Hey everyone, we just removed images of this air-defense outpost"
Everyone looks at the shiny forbidden images
Nobody looks at the reinforced missile silos they were actually trying to hide
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Here you go [pcmag.com] Maybe TFA had images that were blocked by my browser. Either way, the photos are now far more visible than they were originally.
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I haven't been able to find the original images yet, but i'm pretty sure that the 'air base' satellite images on most of the sites are totally wrong. From a bit of research it looks like it's much more sensibly located on a big hill here:
http://goo.gl/maps/H3aRr
The main hints being the photo here:
http://fareasternpotato.blogspot.co.uk/2012_02_01_archive.html
And military intelligence type sites referring to it as 'Leshan Mountain' rather than 'near Hsinchu'.
Sadly the Google images are rather low res and I do
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Usually it's not even worth bothering to hide the fact that something important is there, the fences and armed guards are sufficient to that task. (The sub base just a few miles from me has it's own exit off the highway - complete with a standard green highway sign and the name of the base.) The goal is to either avoid revealing what that importa
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Is it me, or is blurring/removing something from these maps the absolute ideal way to tell the entire world: "There's something really important to someone here."
Or it could just be a decoy military site.
After all, the British and the Germans both had their own decoy sites [wikipedia.org] during World War II.
So why wouldn't Tawain have theirs too?
After all, if the cows that breached their security perimeter [dailychilli.com] couldn't even be silenced afterwards, then perhaps there was no one there to even guard the place, or to threaten the cows into not talking to the press about what they had seen.
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That's not going to work so well for the business end of a radar system.
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"How do I get to the Secret Base?" -- "Take a left and follow the road until it disappears on your map, then you're there."
Based on this info using Apple maps I've concluded there are approximately one thousand secret bases in my city alone.
Constant worry about China (Score:1)
Apple Maps? (Score:5, Funny)
No problem. The correct location of the base will never be found.
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North Koreans bury everything (Score:2)
What surprise? (Score:1)
Not a secret now. (Score:2)
Damage is done, it is not a secret anymore.
all these sites are listed on wikipedia (Score:1)
did anyone notice that http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_map_images_with_missing_or_unclear_data [wikipedia.org] lists all these sites, and for instance bing maps also show them unblurred?
http://binged.it/TzUX8b [binged.it]
http://binged.it/TzVG9k [binged.it]
http://binged.it/T7LC1Y [binged.it]
http://binged.it/T7LHmx [binged.it]
Re:Terrorists new best friend (Score:5, Informative)
I think google may have beaten them to it
According to this article, the images are even clearer in google maps
http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3477836/taiwan-radar-defense-system-apple-ios-6-maps-complaint [theverge.com]
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I think google may have beaten them to it. According to this article, the images are even clearer in google maps
They are the same articles, in that they say the same thing, FT original A::
"Oddly enough, images of the base appear clearer when viewed through Google Maps"
Which google was asked to blur, as mentioned by both articles.