Stop Pentagon Censorship of Commercial Satellite Companies

The Pentagon is censoring commercial satellite companies covering the Iran war, and Congress needs to investigate this immediately. Leaked military guidance shows the Pentagon instructed dozens of satellite operators on how to describe damage in Iran, warning them against language like "target destroyed" and dictating they use only sanitized phrases like "observable infrastructure damage." Planet Labs blocked public access to Iran war imagery for two weeks after consulting with military officials. This is government control of private media. These companies comply because they depend on federal contracts worth billions. The Pentagon already cut ties with Anthropic this month for insisting on AI guardrails, sending a clear message to the roughly 100 companies in this $6-7 billion industry: cooperate or lose your revenue. Americans have a right to know what our military is doing in Iran. Commercial satellite imagery is one of the few independent sources of information about this war. When the government dictates how private companies can describe what their cameras capture, that crosses a line. Launch an investigation into this Pentagon guidance and pass legislation protecting commercial satellite operators from retaliation when they publish factual information about military operations.