Satellite companies block access to Mideast images out of concern they could be used by “conflict actors”

In a dramatic change, commercial satellite companies that provide open-source data widely used by many, including journalists and researchers, have restricted access to images showing Iran and the wider Middle East, including areas where US military bases are the target of Iranian retaliatory fire.

Planet Labs, which regularly provides images used by news organizations including CBS News, said earlier this month it was delaying the release of all new images of Iran, the Persian Gulf, US-allied bases, and “existing conflict zones” for 14 days.

In a letter to clients sent on March 9 and shared with CBS News by a spokesperson, Planet Labs said there are “real concerns about the use of Planet data over Iran, and the extended window of vulnerability for recent images.”

The company “decided to take additional, proactive measures to ensure that our images are not used by hostile actors to target personnel of NATO allies and civilians,” he said.

Such satellite imagery has been important to journalists covering conflicts for years, especially during Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine and during the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. Photographs taken from space provided evidence of extensive investigation destruction, the movement of peopleand even massacresespecially in remote or inaccessible areas due to ground fighting.

One such case is deadly missile strike on Minab schoolin southern Iran in the early hours of the conflict. Satellite imagery was key to identifying the February 28 strike, which the initial assessment found was possibly done by the USbuildings that not only killed the IRGC Navy but seriously damaged the school, where Iran says 175 people died.

Another major company often relied on for satellite development is Vantor, formerly Maxar, which currently controls images from parts of the Middle East, the spokesman said.

Those controls could include limiting who can request new photos or buy historical photos, “in areas where US, NATO, and other allied forces and partners are operating, as well as over areas strongly targeted by the enemy,” the company said. Vantor has restricted images of US bases and other sensitive sites for years.

Vantor said he remains committed to supporting “responsible journalism” by providing images of Iran and the Middle East to journalists around the world, while maintaining safeguards.

Both companies have active US government contracts.

The Planet said it consulted government and foreign experts, while Vantor insisted that their decisions were not endorsed by any government.

In its statement to customers, Planet said it recognizes “that timely information is critical to your operations” and did not take the decision lightly, while saying it intends to “resume normal service as soon as safety and security conditions allow.”