Is ESRI’s World Imagery Wayback unreliable?

[PanagiotisMallis]

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I was examining a timeline series of satellite images depicting the area where the **removed** building, which is going to host the **removed**, is under construction. The area with center point **removed** is being covered within this app with 11 versions with local changes dated from 2016-12-20 to 2025-10-23.
In version dated 2022-03-16 (using image captured Oct 21, 2021) the construction site is depicted. The same happens in all versions until version 2025-02-27 (using image captured Nov 8, 2023). Surprisingly, in later versions, 2025-09-04 and 2025-10-23 the building has disappeared. Although the app insists that the image has been captured Nov 8, 2023, the area is depicted as it was before 2021. (See the attached screenshots)
In version 2025-09-04, the satellite image is disguised just above the area of the construction with a very low resolution. (See these screenshots)
I am disappointed to find out that ESRI is using such disguised satellite images in this app, especially because I can imagine why these images have been disguised or intentionally wrongly dated.
I have used ESRI’s software for more than 30 years and I hope that in next versions the “problem” would not exist any more and the area will be shown as it really is.

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[RichardDaniels]

You are specifically looking for a militarily sensitive location. Many organizations redact high resolution data for military bases and similar sensitive sites, especially for friendly nations (recall that ESRI is a US Company). However, you are correct, ESRI should share their policy on this so researcher understand what they are seeing.

8 Ethical Considerations in Using Satellite Imagery That Balance Privacy & Progress - Map Library

[RobertWaterman]

On matters of national security, certain organizations may request that Esri obscure or redact certain information from our maps, including World Imagery. Within a global map, the methodology and implementation of obscuring information often reflect localized requirements of the regional authorities. In other words, we do our best to accommodate variable and localized requirements when it comes to national security. How, when, and where information is obscured is more a reflection of localized national security requirements than a reflection on the validity and completeness of the information presented in the maps and applications.

[JesseCloutier]

Note that this post has been edited to remove sensitive information.