NewzUS satellite imagery restrictions leave journalists in the dark on Iran and Gaza As the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on 28 February and Tehran retaliated on targets across the Gulf, a quieter contest was taking shape over who could access satellite imagery of the war. One week after the initial strikes, US firm Planet Labs, the leading satellite imagery provider, announced it would release Gulf imagery with a four-day delay. Within days, the delay had been extended to 14 days and expanded to most of the Middle East.
By early April, following a request from the US government, Planet Labs had made the restriction on high-quality imagery of the region indefinite. The most recent commercially available images of the Gulf now date from 9 March. Planet Labs said the decision was made in consultation with the government and external experts.
But many open-source journalists and analysts are worried this is beginning to resemble censorship. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Bill Greer, co-founder of Common Space, a nonprofit satellite initiative, told Middle East Eye: “It has become increasingly clear that access to satellite imagery is gradually disappearing from public view.” The stated justification is that, in the wrong hands, the imagery could be used to target US troops or allied infrastructure in the Gulf. However, experts in the industry told MEE that while a two-week delay addressed this hypothetical risk, they could not see a comparable justification for the indefinite freeze.
On 1 July, Planet Labs lifted some restrictions, particularly over Iran, but most of the suspension over the Gulf remains in place. 'Reduction in transparency' Journalists and analysts also question the logic behind the restrictions, as many of the foreign powers the US considers hostile already operate their own satellite networks. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Tom Brown, an open-source investigative reporter, told MEE he was “highly sceptical of the claim that the US or I…
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