--- title: "Alarming New Satellite Can Spy on Individual People" description: "Albedo Space wants to launch satellites that can track the movements of and even image individual people. Obviously, privacy is an issue." date: "2024-02-21" modified: "2024-02-21" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/satellite-spy-individual-people" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "government surveillance" - "satellites" - "surveillance" - "the digest" --- # Alarming New Satellite Can Spy on Individual People ![Albedo Space wants to launch satellites that can track the movements of and even image individual people. Obviously, privacy is an issue.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Pandora's Satellite As surveillance tools advance in both function and ubiquity, an up-and-coming satellite venture company raises an important question: how much of our privacy are we willing to trade for the promise of safety? A startup called Albedo Space is building low-orbit satellites that are able to zoom in on individual humans down on Earth, [*The New York Times* reports](). The venture's cofounders say the satellites won't be equipped with identification-ready [facial recognition technology](), but they will be able to image people — a massive step forward in satellite-abetted surveillance that could seemingly realize some long-held privacy fears. After all, as far as technological Eyes of Saurons could go, a fleet of all-seeing orbital cameras — which according to the *NYT* have already inked multiple US defense contracts and garnered over $100 million in funding — feels pretty on the nose. "This is a giant camera in the sky for any government to use at any time without our knowledge," Jennifer Lynch, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the *NYT*. "We should definitely be worried." ## Weighing Costs As the *NYT* notes, Albedo's founders have paid lip service to the privacy concerns for some time now. In a [February 2021 post to the forum Hacker News](), for instance, Albedo co-founder and CEO Topher Haddad told a concerned netizen that "we are acutely aware of the privacy implications and potential for abuse/misuse." This seems to be the company line, given that Haddad told the *NYT* for its 2024 report that "we're acutely aware of the privacy implications." So, acute awareness: check! Speaking to the *NYT*, Albedo seemingly took the "but we're saving lives!" line of reasoning, emphasizing that its satellites — which are due to orbit as low as 100 miles off Earth's surface — could be used for purposes like helping authorities map disaster zones. Albedo's website also lists infrastructure monitoring and urban planning as possible applications for the tech, in addition — of course — to a few "defense \[and\] intelligence" use cases. While some experts, according to the *NYT*, agree that the satellites could feasibly be helpful in some scenarios, the privacy concerns are palpable nonetheless. The thought of a tool like this in the hands of a government keen on moral policing, for example, or authorities seeking to crack down on protests, is frightening. In spite of any benefits, surveillance technology almost always comes at a cost. Per the *NYT*, Albedo plans to launch its first satellite in 2025, and ultimately hopes to host a fleet of over 20 individual crafts. If and when Albedo's vision comes to pass, the public may well find out just how high its price is. "It's taking us one step closer," Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told the *NYT*, "to a Big-Brother-is-watching kind of world." **More on surveillance:** [*The NYPD Says It's Going to Spy on Labor Day Parties Using Drones*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()