Shutter control

Definition
Under Presidential Decision Directive 23 (PDD-23) the U. S. Government retained shutter control of any commercial imagery systems licensed for sale to foreign purchasers by U.S. firms outside of a government-to-government agreement. This means the U.S. Government retains the right to curtail the use of any imaging system sold by a U.S. firm to a foreign purchaser if it decided that its national security interests would be affected. The U.S. government believed that this authority was needed in the event a domestic or foreign purchaser sought to use the system contrary to U.S. interests.