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by diebeforei485 324 days ago
Israel lobbied for restrictions on the resolution of satellite footage of the occupied Palestinian territories, so it tends to be a lot more blurred than images of anywhere else.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyl–Bingaman_Amendment

5 comments

I had no idea about this appalling law. It deserves to be much better-known.
So NYSE-traded Planet Labs PBC would be affected given their San Francisco HQ, and it could be higher resolution than this perhaps w/o that law?

For reference, link to the AP's reporting including satellite photos with before/after sliders (2023<->2025):

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-destruction...

(Disclaimer: I'm out of my depth on satellites, photography, and international relations... & almost everything really)

Wonderful. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be hiding much.

I can see destroyed buildings on Google Maps. :(

Unbelievable.. first time hearing about this.
I'd understand a delay for operational security; it is a war zone. However banned entirely?
Why is it reasonable for operational security? They're not Israeli satellites!