[WikiEN-l] no more PD satellite photos?

[Delirium]

Stephan Walter wrote:

> U.S. government is proposing to exempt satellite images from the 
> Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), meaning that it wouldn't have to 
> release them to the public.
>
> If this law gets passed, this could be the end of a great source of PD 
> satellite images: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov
>
> What do you think? Something we should do? Stockpiling nasa images? Or 
> am I just panicking? :-)

There is no need to stockpile PD satellite images.  All that is being 
proposed is, as you mentioned, exempting satellite images from the 
FOIA.  That would mean that the US government is no longer legally 
required to release them in response to requests.  It does not affect 
images that have already been released, and does not affect images 
voluntarily released by government agencies like NASA.  All it would do 
is allow the government to refuse FOIA lawsuits asking for the release 
of as-of-yet-unreleased images.

Granted, it's a bad idea, and one I oppose, but it has absolutely no 
effect on currently-available images.

-Mark