According to the BBC, sites like the Iraq League site and Internet tools like Google Earth have become important means of survival in Iraq — helping Iraqis avoid death squads, plan escape routes and guard against attacks.

BBC: As the communal bloodshed has worsened, some Iraqis have set up advice websites to help others avoid the death squads.

One tip – on the Iraq League site, one of the best known – is for people to draw up maps of their local area using Google Earth’s detailed imagery of Baghdad so they can work out escape routes and routes to block.

It’s another example of the central role technology plays in the conflict – with the widespread use of mobile phones, satellite television as well as the internet – by all sides and for many purposes.

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