Google blacks out satellite images of Kuwait's critical infrastructure

Google has blurred high-resolution satellite images of vital facilities in Kuwait's Al-Shuaiba area, including a power plant, water treatment facility, and oil refineries. The move came after an American analyst reported that US-based technology companies were censoring images of military sites in the region.

Scraper SystemJuly 18, 2026, 09:20 PM

Google blacks out satellite images of Kuwait's critical infrastructure

Google has deliberately blacked out satellite images of critical infrastructure facilities in Kuwait. According to an analysis by Iran-based Mehr News Agency, images of a power plant, water treatment facility, multiple oil refineries, a petrochemical complex, and Shuaiba Port in the Al-Shuaiba area have been blurred.

The analysis stated that these blackouts were meticulously applied to prevent assessment of the full extent of possible damage or specific structural impacts at the vital facilities. The stark contrast between the updated low-quality images and previous high-resolution ones is interpreted as a sign of a targeted effort to restrict the flow of visual data.

This development follows earlier reports by an American media analyst that Google and Apple had heavily censored or reduced the resolution of satellite images of key military facilities in Kuwait. Among these facilities is the Ali Al Salem Air Base, which was targeted in the recent war.

Satellite imaging company Planet Labs had previously announced it would impose a mandatory 96-hour delay on the release of new satellite images covering the Middle East, particularly the Persian Gulf countries, Iraq, and Kuwait.

Experts believe that such moves by commercial satellite companies, including US-based ones, aim to prevent real-time damage assessment and mitigate information warfare following high-risk military escalations in the region.

Source: Mehr News Agency

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