(Search) Engine of the State

A town official in Long Island is utilizing nerdy weaponry, Google Earth, to find unregistered backyard swimming pools. Leroy Barnes, an employee of the town, cited safety hazards as his reason for scoping out the unlisted pools. I’m sure Barnes wasn’t considering the missing tax revenue at all.

Earth, which was originally created for tourists, has now become another tool of Big Brother. The pace of innovation on the internet has been so rapid that I wonder what other unforeseen infringements and consequences will come our way.

Perhaps I should reconsider my Google Latitude account…