Comments on: Concerns Shown Over Eric Schmidt’s Statement On Google’s Surveillance in Pakistan

By: Shahid Saleem

Shahid Saleem — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:42:28 +0000

I think we are actually agreeing with each other but on different viewpoints. You say there are maps, okay. But if I (who live in Lahore) have to travel all the way to RWP to see them, then for practical purposes there are no maps.

For years I have seen people on traffic intersections selling maps of Lahore. Big maps of the overall city, not small detailed maps. Those big maps were easily available at least over the past 10-20 years. But they are effectively useless because they cannot tell you how to drive from Defence sector H to Mozung (for example).

Google maps fills a need. An obvious need which no one local bothered to provide.

By: Shahid Saleem

Shahid Saleem — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:38:39 +0000

Do you have any non-conspiracy urls describing the links?

Please, no snarky responses. Just point to the something well documented like links at http://finance.yahoo.com/q/sec?s=GOOG+SEC+Filings or https://commerce.us.reuters.com/purchase/advancedSearch.do?symbol=GOOG.O&rpc=68 for starters.

By: Jabran

Jabran — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:10:29 +0000

Just to make your point clear, we do have maps. If you go to SOP office in Rawalpindi — you will find store rooms full of excellent maps. The main reasons are that they are not available for everyone publicly where they should be. Second there is no digital version of those maps because there are no resources for such an activity. Long story short, so why not make a good use of free and available resource for betterment of country!

By: Shahid Saleem

Shahid Saleem — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:11:01 +0000

Which they will gladly do if asked. Other countires, smaller than Pakistan, ask for it and get it from Google. So why not we?

In fact we don’t even have to tell Google WHY we want some site blurred out.

By: Asad

Asad — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:05:48 +0000

How about ask google to blur out military, nuclear and other sensitive installations in the country.

By: Shahid Saleem

Shahid Saleem — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 21:20:58 +0000

– It is disturbing enough that Google has visited our government in secrecy

How can it be in secrecy when all the news media knew about it?

– We ourselves have given Google our streets, hour homes, our work areas, everything…

What you fail to understand is that we put them there because we do not have any maps of our own. Where is our government??? They are the ones who should have provided and built maps. Instead, we did what we could because we need the information.

By: Jabran

Jabran — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:19:14 +0000

The problem with most “rights” associations in this country is just too complicated. The headline of the “concerns” was actually the “request by PM” to help out in surveillance on border but keeping the tradition, bytesforall could make only byte for their personal agenda based on personal understanding.

It will be funny if people at bytesforall also have security guards or cctv for surveillance at offices and homes.

By: Jabran

Jabran — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:14:15 +0000

While you may not be able to provide any evidence or authenticated reference for civilian maps being used at army level, here is how Pakistan Army used these civilian maps for your people goodwill and to save the lives. http://www.ispr.gov.pk/front/main.asp?o=t-press_release&id=1584

And by the way, Pakistan is not only country being mapped. Over 100 of countries are there and that includes the US and most European countries. Here is the list of countries being mapped. http://goo.gl/jal4F

By: Nadir

Nadir — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:57:58 +0000

It is disturbing enough that Google has visited our government in secrecy, NOTHING good could possibly come out of it.

It is even more disturbing that most of the people above find it “funny” and amusing somehow and still stuck on the word “former PM”. Stupid people of Pakistan, crack the jokes until they come crack your children’s skulls with drones.

Google Maps press conference a while back revealed that in the entire Google Maps world, the ONLY country that is FULLY put on map by the locals is Pakistan. They say “The amount of details and how it grew in the past couple of years is astonishing”. We ourselves have given Google our streets, hour homes, our work areas, everything…

They’ve used Google Maps in Iraq, they are using it in Afghanistan and they will be using it in Pakistan. And NO ONE is going to be able to held them responsible because WE GAVE OUR DATA TO THEM! The proud “Map Makers”.

Lets just forget about all this nonsense written above… FORMER PM HA HA HA!!!!

By: Baaghi

Baaghi — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:28:41 +0000

Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani…………

former …………… CRIME Minister of Pakistan

HAHAHAHAHAH……………