Spy Chief Hints At Limits On Satellite Photos

An anonymous reader writes "Vice Adm. Robert Murrett, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, says that the increasing availability of commercial satellite photos may require the government to restrict distribution. 'I could certainly foresee circumstances in which we would not want imagery to be openly disseminated of a sensitive site of any type, whether it is here or overseas,' he said. This would include imagery on Web sites such as Google Earth, because the companies that supply the photos get help from the NGIA with launches." I had never heard of this particular intelligence agency. During the early months of the invasion of Afghanistan they bought up all satellite imagery over that country, worldwide, in a tactic later dubbed "checkbook shutter control."

Comments

Re:NGA not NGIA

[Anonymous Coward]

I think he actually means NIGA - the intelligence agency from the ghetto.

Re:Restriction on restriction

[$RANDOMLUSER]

...non-US commercial sources...

Terraists.

...images will still be available from European and Japanese satellites...

Either they are for US or against US.

...learn to live with the fact...

You must be new here. This regime does not "live with facts".

Re:panic?

[Anonymous Coward]

While i understand the logic here to an extent, it is a bit of a knee jerk reaction. If somebody really needed ariel photos of a place for illicit purposes it would be MUCH easier for them to obtain them from a balloon, or even an airplane.

Have you ever tried this near military locations? And what kind of sentence did you get?

Re:NGA not NGIA

[Simon Garlick]

nga plz.

Re:A Message from the Ministry of Truth

[Blakey Rat]

remind anyone of anything *cough cough* DRM *cough cough* copy protection *cough*

Do you need some Sucrets? Maybe you should have called-in sick to Slashdot today.

Re:You americans are living in intelligence hell

[Anomolous Cowturd]

You know you're headed for disaster when your only consolation is being better than the English.

Re:Restriction on restriction

[argStyopa]

"The current admin does everything, seriously, everything
wrong, which creates long term damage.

You can predict what their response will be to any
situation: whatever will create damage will be the choice.

The list is long. Katrina is a good example."

If the current adminstration was able to cause Katrina, then perhaps that tinfoil hat isn't going to be enough.....

It's an allergy.

[Ihlosi]

Do you need some Sucrets?

He's just allergic to BS.