Intelligence: June 28, 2005

Archives

Spy satellites, and the photos they provide, have long been something only wealthy governments could afford. Now everyone can have it, sort of. Google now provides satellite photos (maps.google.com), making such access much more widely known, and available. Not only does Google cover most areas where Americans live, and drive, but also many foreign lands, like Egypt, Iraq, Europe and China. Resolution varies, with most of it being several meters (that is, the smallest object you can make out would be several meters across.) But other satellite photo services, like Terraserver.com, will provide higher resolution (often under a meter), for a small fee. Now, what does the U.S. Department of Defense, and American intelligence agencies, think of all this satellite imagery being available to anyone. Not a lot, but the U.S. government is being quiet about exactly what they are doing about it. When satellite photos first became widely available to anyone (including criminals, terrorists and so on) back in the 1990s, the U.S. government did try to do something about it. But making threats, or buying all the time on some of the private photo sats, didnt really work. So more subtle methods, or, rather, tricks, are being used. Exactly what this consists of is being kept secret, for obvious reasons. 

 


Article Archive

Intelligence: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close