Illegal mapping web sites: Min Yiren, Deputy Director of China's State Bureau of surveying and Mapping (SBSM) says there are too many of them, and the speculation is that a crack down on such sites in the near future will lead to Google Earth being blocked in China.

WebProNews is among those reporting on the issue. Maps in China have to be approved by the SBSM to ensure that they don't display state secrets. According to WebProNews, there are about 10,000 online map sites available in China and most display unapproved maps.


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If Google Earth is block, the action will only feed efforts to take China before the World trade Organization over Internet censorship.

Great Earth News, a Google site, points to an article in the China Daily recently that promises a crackdown on illegal maps because many of them show military installations in China.