this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2026
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Planet Labs, one of the world’s leading commercial satellite imaging companies, said Friday it is placing a hold on releasing imagery of some parts of the Middle East as a regional war enters its second week.

Planet wants to prevent "adversarial actors" from using images for "Battle Damage Assessment" purposes.

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[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I mean, you could have that opinion I guess. But the stated reasoning is perfectly valid. After you launch a long distance attack, it is in fact important to know how effective it was. This is a very strategically useful ability. Leaving your adversary in the dark has always worked to your advantage in war.

Look, we all know this war is stupid, there aren't many who would deny that. But to be perfectly honest, despite the political leadership at the very top, the US military and it's leadership are actually pretty good at what they do. I doubt they're trying to cover up a failing war. To me, this looks more like operational security than a cover up.

[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

The stated reasoning sounds okay in isolation, but:

  1. Why didn't they start the blackout when the conflict began, as opposed to waiting like this?
  2. Why is it just a delay, instead of a real blackout?
[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

While I don't have an answer for your first question, there is a really good answer to the second.

A delay is a perfect solution for eliminating the tactical advantage that its imagery could offer, while still maintaining an eye on the region, not letting war crimes go unnoticed.

The delay rather than a blackout actually reinforces the idea that this is really about not providing intel to Iran. Three day old troop positions are totally useless, those troops are somewhere else now. A delay is totally sufficient to make their imagery non threatening. But if they were trying to hide the actions of either side, a delay wouldn't be enough, they'd need to hold those images back forever. Meaning, they aren't trying to hide the truth.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don’t believe the current us military is any good at all. The ones that were have quit. The rest are dick sucking psychopathic “god Trump” bitch boys.

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

That's completely detached from reality. You could confirm that by talking to anyone in the military.

Probably half of our service members joined up just to pay for college. They're not in the military because they're psychopaths... it's just a viable option for moving up in life. Many Americans hope to pursue advanced careers, but they can't afford college and don't have many job opportunities in their home town. Well regardless of what your town is like, the military is always hiring; and the recruiters are convincing. If you're 20 years old and stalled out in your career, it sounds like a real good deal. Again, that does not make you a psychopath. AND regardless of what you think of service members, the effectiveness of the US military is exceedingly evident, they hardly need me to speak for them.