No More Secrets? Policy Implications of Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites Conference

Visit the Carnegie Endowment's No More Secrets? Conference Website.

Access the Carnegie Endowment Working Paper on the policy implications of commercial remote sensing satellites.

On May 26, 1999, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a major conference titled "No More Secrets? Policy Implications of Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites." These new satellites have capabilities approaching those of military spy satellites, but with one key difference: their images will generally be available to anyone able and willing to pay.

The imagery these satellites will provide can significantly enhance the ability of governments and nongovermental organizations to (a) quickly respond to sudden refugee movements, (b) document and publicize large-scale humanitarian atrocities, (c) control environmental problems ranging from impending droughts to deforestation, (d) monitor compliance with international security arrangements, and (e) manage international disputes before they escalate to full-scale inter-state wars.

But abundance of imagery does not guarantee the accurate or benevolent use of that imagery. The media have already made major mistakes; misinterpreting images and misidentifying places. The possibility also exists that state and non-state actors will employ commercially-available remote sensing imagery to conduct industrial espionage, collect intelligence, plan terrorist attacks, and mount offensive military operations.

The Carnegie Endowment conference provided a forum to discuss the policy tradeoffs raised by the advent of commercial high-resolution satellites. Sponsored by the Endowment Project on Transparency, the conference brought together representatives of a score of countries, many U.S. government departments, congressional staff, several nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and the media for a day-long immersion in the technical and policy issues associated with the emergence of commercial high-resolution satellites. Highlights of the conference can be accessed through this web-site. The Project on Transparency is deeply grateful to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for its financial support for the conference.