Are We Ready for Satellites That See Our Every Move?
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Version 0 of 1. When President Trump tweeted an image of Iran’s Imam Khomeini Space Center in August, amateur satellite trackers were shocked by the image’s high resolution. After some sleuthing, they concluded it came from USA 224, a highly classified satellite launched in 2011 by the National Reconnaissance Office and believed to be part of the multibillion-dollar KH-11 program. Not only did the satellite’s size, location and orbit match the vantage point of the image, but only such a state-of-the-art satellite could possibly capture details like the clear Persian writing on the launchpad’s edge. That the technology to clearly see something as small as a coffee mug — or smaller — could already exist, or be developed very soon, should not be taken lightly. The commercial satellite imagery business has grown tremendously over the past decade, with over 700 Earth observational satellites now in orbit, and imagery resolution keeps improving. We must consider the longer-term implications of having commercial high-resolution satellite image of this quality and what will happen when we can identify individuals or license plates from space — because that’s not far-off. We are not ready for the ethical boundaries this invasion of privacy will cross. In just 15 years, we’ve gone from being able to see things the size of 40-inch TVs to those the size of smart tablets. There are government controls on the resolution of commercially available satellite imagery, but this progress suggests we will get 0.20 meters resolution imagery or better in the next five years, and imagery as good as from current American spy satellites — which, if the image of the Khomeini Space Center is anything to go by, seems to be about 0.10 meters resolution — in the next decade. Drones can be shot out of the sky, yet little can be done to combat or hide from cameras virtually invisible from the ground. No one consents to being imaged from space. There are areas blurred out on Google Earth, but no laws prevent your property from being captured by commercial satellites. And what about the countless hallowed grounds across the globe that are not meant to be visited by outsiders? Viewing imagery of these sites or peoples from above with no permission is no less of a colonialist act and may cause harm to communities that did not choose to be imaged, like “uncontacted” tribal groups in Brazil, who could then face further attacks from loggers or miners. I believe in the tremendous power of satellite data. I use imagery to detect potential archaeological sites, which I then survey or excavate; it allows us to see everything from buried Viking walls to entire city maps in Egypt. The technology has enabled scientists to track the burning of the rain forests in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru; the melting of polar icecaps and potential collapses of penguin colonies; and images before and after tsunamis, which can be used for relief fund-raising. Yet I also imagine a dystopian not-so-distant future where we can direct very high-resolution satellites to any point on Earth, easily identifying a person’s location or activities. Who will have access to this data? The police? Politicians looking for dirt on their opponents, or angry spouses with a vendetta? How will this data be used in courts — and who can be trusted to interpret it? The thought of potential misuses is chilling. [If you’re online — and, well, you are — chances are someone is using your information. We’ll tell you what you can do about it. Sign up for our limited-run newsletter.] Rapid imaging of Earth’s surface is already underway. Small satellites called doves allow for consistent location imaging. These, alongside NASA and commercial satellites, track illegal logging and fishing operations. By 2021, Maxar Technologies, a space technology company, will be able to take snapshots of the same location every 20 minutes. This development has so much potential to do good. I find myself torn between being an enthusiastic remote-sensing scientist and an anthropologist who would never take a photo of anyone, anywhere, without permission. We need to start conversations now about who and what should be imaged from space — and about how to create ways for Indigenous people or governments to ask for their sacred or sensitive spaces to be respected. For example, Globalxplorer, the cultural heritage organization I founded, is taking its citizen archaeology satellite platform to India next. To date, 94,600 citizen scientists from over 100 countries have examined 17.5 million satellite images of Peru and have located over 19,000 anthropogenic features, 700 of which are major archaeological sites. We already have a list of places the Indian government does not want to be imaged. All it took was an honest conversation to establish the limits of our data sharing. This is about privacy and respect, and we must develop global guidelines and policies. The United States has the most powerful satellites in the world, but China, Russia and others are not far behind. Just because we have great technology in the United States does not mean we have the authority to decide how to use it ethically, nor will we be safe once other countries have better satellites. Remote-sensing specialists and everyday users of satellite imagery globally should be leading this conversation, which has enormous implications for our right to exist without everyone knowing where we are at every moment. The global repercussions of our satellite know-how becoming public knowledge should start a bigger discussion now — before we step out our front doors, look up, and wonder whether we should smile for the picture. Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) is the author of “Archaeology From Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past.” Like other media companies, The Times collects data on its visitors when they read stories like this one. For more detail please see our privacy policy and our publisher's description of The Times's practices and continued steps to increase transparency and protections. Follow @privacyproject on Twitter and The New York Times Opinion Section on Facebook and Instagram. |