In a recent post I spoke about the journey undertaken by a Californian start-up called Planet Labs.  They have developed a small, agile imaging satellite that allows swarms of satellites to orbit Earth, thus providing a better breadth and depth of coverage than more traditional imaging satellites.

This can be used for things like monitoring deforestation around the world, with smart algorithms being utilized to try and detect deforestation before the event unfolds.

Who is watching you

Of course, whilst this is a very noble use of this new technology, there is also the potential for a level of surveillance never before experienced, and there is seldom a week goes by where stories don’t emerge in the press about some invasion of privacy or other.

It’s with this in mind that a new app has been launched by Orbit Logic Inc.  The app, called SpyMeSat, aims to inform users when a satellite is flying overhead and is in a position to snap them.

The company specializes in the aerospace and intelligence industries, so they have a pedigree in the field.  At the moment, the data used by the app comes from a range of public sources, including the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The app works by alerting each user when such a satellite is overhead and may potentially be snapping them.  It provides the user with a map that shows the movements of each satellite, together with a list of those that are nearby to their current location.

The user can then drill down to find out more about that satellite, including who owns it, who manufactured it and so on.

Whilst it’s an interesting enough tool, I do wonder just how many people are going to be sufficiently concerned (or paranoid) about their privacy to want to have such information close to hand.

Could you see it having mainstream uses?