# Is Google Earth messed up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562 "2012-08-25T01:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/1 "2012-08-25T01:48:22Z")
Just opened Google Earth and it’s really screwy when I click on a picture. The caption might say “Chicago Skyscraper”, but when I open it, it turns out to be a rural scene in Russia. Any idea of what might be causing this? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/2 "2012-08-25T03:54:56Z")
I just noticed exactly the same thing an hour ago. Selecting panoramio (whatever it’s called) photos throughout Washington State, getting Singapore skylines. ---
**Author:** ![Jelc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jelc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelc)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/3 "2012-08-25T05:30:40Z")
It’s happening to me as well. Getting pictures of Camels, in the middle of Vancouver. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/4 "2012-08-25T06:13:34Z")
> [@Jelc](#): > > It’s happening to me as well. Getting pictures of Camels, in the middle of Vancouver. The cigarettes, or the animals? I’m seeing Russian farmhouses and country side. Now to see what’s roaming around L.A. This is fun! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/5 "2012-08-25T06:20:54Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Now to see what’s roaming around L.A. Here it’s France. Again, mostly rural scenes, quite peaceful and pretty in fact, and also the occasional small city. Oddly enough I once saw the name “Alsace” on the map, not far from Playa Del Rey, and thought there must be a similar issue going on. Surprisingly, it turned out that there actually is an Alsace in L.A., specifically a name given to a housing development section in that part of town. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/6 "2012-08-25T06:22:53Z")
Oh wait, now the Santa Monica Pier is in Uganda. Is Apple doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/7 "2012-08-25T07:26:14Z")
Seems OK to me (just installed Linux version to check). ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/8 "2012-08-25T16:38:07Z")
Last night before there were any responses I called my daughter and had her click on the same pictures I clicked on to see what would happen. Once in a while we came up with different pictures, but mostly they were the same wrong location. Just glad to know it wasn’t just my computer. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/9 "2012-08-25T16:42:11Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if, given Google’s offbeat sense of humor, they did it deliberately for one day as a way of protesting the Apple verdict. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/10 "2012-08-25T17:35:36Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if, given Google’s offbeat sense of humor, they did it deliberately for one day as a way of protesting the Apple verdict. How would messing with Google Earth protest the verdict? And, for that matter, why would Google care that _Samsung_ lost to Apple? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/11 "2012-08-25T17:42:21Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > How would messing with Google Earth protest the verdict? > And, for that matter, why would Google care that _Samsung_ lost to Apple? > > 😕 My Samsung phone came preloaded with a bunch of Google apps. My wifes I-Phone doesn’t have any. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/12 "2012-08-25T17:46:22Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > My Samsung phone came preloaded with a bunch of Google apps. My wifes I-Phone doesn’t have any. The maps app on the iPhone is by Google. Of course, that’s destined to change. But, once again, _so what_? Apple didn’t sue Google because of Android - they sued Samsung since they (clearly) went out of their way to duplicate the iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/13 "2012-08-25T17:56:31Z")
Apparently the Berlin Airlift Memorial is in Algeria! If you click the “Fly to this photo’s location” by the picture, it does seem to take you to the right place (or, at least, a much more plausible one). ---
**Author:** ![gunnergoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@gunnergoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gunnergoz)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-google-earth-messed-up/632562/14 "2012-08-25T18:20:13Z")
It is a known problem and Google Earth is working on it [https://productforums.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!category-topic/earth/rrHS1v7YVdI](https://productforums.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!category-topic/earth/rrHS1v7YVdI)