Taiwan wants Google Earth to blur its facilities in the South China Sea

Not for the first time, Google Earth has found itself caught up in geopolitics.

The Taiwan Defence Ministry has requested Google blur satellite images that appear to show military installations on Itu Aba, a small island it holds in the South China Sea, Reuters has reported.

Itu Aba, also known as Taiping Island, is Taiwan's only holding in the hotly-contested region around the Spratly Islands, where the U.S. and other countries have protested China's construction of military infrastructure, including airstrips and artificial islands.

"Under the pre-condition of protecting military secrets and security, we have requested Google blur images of important military facilities," Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said Wednesday, according to the outlet.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Military experts in Taiwan told Reuters the four three-pronged structures laid out in a semi-circle appeared to be a military in nature, but it was unclear whether they were intended for defence, offence or surveillance. The island is also dominated by a large airstrip.

"We take security concerns very seriously, and are always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials," a Google spokesperson told Mashable in a statement. So far, none of these conversations have resulted in the blurring of imagery, and as Google Earth's satellite pictures are provided by third parties, similar imagery is likely to be available through other commercial and public channels.

In July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled against China's assertion that it owns a number of islands in the region. China's position is staunchly opposed by countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, and the court said China had violated the Philippines' sovereign rights.

The decision was rapturously greeted in the Philippines, with many celebrating on social media using the hashtag #CHexit.

China, for its part, rejected the ruling. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it "null and void," asserting it had no binding force.

The July decision also affected Itu Aba. The court concluded that it should be designated a "rock" and not an island, meaning it does not "generate an exclusive economic zone" and limits further territorial claims for Taiwan.

This is not the first time Google Earth has found itself in political crosshairs.

Images of palaces and unequal land distribution viewable on Google Earth were said to be used by anti-government activists in Bahrain, the Washington Post reported in 2006.

"We are 17 people crowded in one small house, like many people in the southern district," Sayed Mahmood told the newspaper. "And you see on Google how many palaces there are and how the al-Khalifas have the rest of the country to themselves."

UPDATE: Sept. 23, 2016, 11:36 a.m. AEST Google statement added.