American satellite company Planet Labs will stop publishing images of Iran and the war zone in the Middle East indefinitely at the request of the US government. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The company informed customers that the new restriction applies to images dated from March 9 and will remain in effect at least until the conflict ends. Previously, Planet Labs had already introduced a 14-day delay in publishing such images, but now it is effectively moving access to them into a closed mode.
The company explained that it is moving to so-called "managed image distribution." This means that satellite photos of the region will be issued only in special cases – for urgent, critical, or socially significant needs. Planet Labs stated that the decision is related to the risk of such images being used by opponents of the US and its allies.
War images become part of the war itself
Satellite images are now used not only by journalists or analysts, but also for military purposes – to identify targets, guide weapons, track missiles, and coordinate operations. That is why access to commercial satellite imagery is increasingly restricted during active hostilities.
Reuters also reports that other satellite imagery providers operate differently. For example, Vantor, formerly Maxar, stated that the US had not directly contacted it, but it had already independently restricted access to some images of the Middle East.