A petition before an Indian court is asking for a ban on Google Earth after allegations emerged that terrorists who stormed Mumbai last month may have used online satellite imaging to orchestrate the attack. One Indian official is also urging the Bombay High Court to require that Google blur images of sensitive areas in the country until the case is decided.

Police in Mumbai have said the terrorists familiarised themselves with the streets of Mumbai’s financial capital using satellite images, according to the sole gunman to be captured alive. The commandos who stormed the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai said the militants had made a beeline for the building’s CCTV control room.

The legal petition also follows unconfirmed reports that Faheem Ahmed Ansari, a suspected militant who was arrested in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in February, said he was shown maps of Indian locations on Google Earth by members of Lashkar-e-Taiber, the Pakistan-based terrorist faction that Indian officials are convinced was behind the Mumbai attacks.

India is not alone in its concerns about the detailed satellite imaging available through the search engine giant’s website. Security agencies have long warned that terrorists could use the wealth of data on Google Earth to plan attacks. In light of such potential security risks, should Google Earth be required to limit the scope of such data?