It's the question of scale. For example, it's one thing to take a photo of a street, and another one to photograph all streets and buildings creating a visual r

It's the question of scale. For example, it's one thing to take a photo of a street, and another one to photograph all streets and buildings creating a visual representation of the whole country. Sovereign countries have the right to decide certain things are not in the best interests of their citizens and ban such activities, regardless of what is our opinion of it.