The Financial Times reports on the Chinese government’s crackdown on online mapping:
The campaign is the latest element of a drive to strengthen information security in China, which has created uncertainties for a range of foreign technology businesses in the country, including Google.
Details of the crackdown were given by Song Chaozhi, deputy director of the state bureau of surveying and mapping, in a programme aired on CCTV, the main state broadcaster thjis week.
Mr Song said satellite imagery shown on the internet must not identify sensitive state sites. “Once you get the geographic location of certain military installations that should be kept secret, that naturally constitutes a violation of state secrets,” he said.
The surveying and mapping bureau tightened regulations for internet map service providers this week after investigating and closing online forums that allowed users to upload and share information on the location of Chinese military installations and infrastructure assets.
