Is Starlink authoritarian-proof?

Satellite communications networks have proved resilient amid a crackdown. Amid growing protests and escalating violence in Iran, the country’s government has blocked access to domestic communications systems and imposed a nearly week-long internet blackout. But Starlink, the satellite internet service run by SpaceX, only uses personal terminals that connect to its constellation, and doesn’t rely on any regime-controlled infrastructure. As a result, technology has now become a lifeline, and one of the only ways people in Iran can bring their disturbing reality on the ground to the rest of the world. “The biggest part of the communication [in the country] is being handled by Starlink,” Amir Rashidi, the director of internet security and digital rights at the Miaan Group, an organization that’s been tracking the communications blackout in Iran, tells Fast Company . “Without the Starlink, you won’t see any of these videos, or you won’t receive any news.” Indeed, it is still incredibly difficult to ascertain firsthand information from inside Iran. Foreign reporters only have limited access to the country, and phone calls have also been restricted by the government. The full extent of the carnage is unclear, but some officials suspect thousands of people may already be dead . More may happen with Starlink in Iran in the coming days. SpaceX has now waived the initial Starlink subscription fee for users in Iran , and organizers have been sharing details on how to use the technology, as securely as possible, amid a brutal crackdown. President Donald Trump said earlier this week he plans to communicate with Elon Musk about expanding service in the region . “The Trump Administration is committed to helping to preserve and protect the free flow of information by the most effective means to the people of Iran in the face of the Iranian regime’s brutal repression,” a State Department spokesperson, declining to share more specifics, told Fast Company on Wednesday. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. The situation is a reminder that, in an emergency—and amid political upheaval—internet access can be a critical tool. Indeed, it’s easy to view Starlink as a fundamentally authoritarian-proof technology. But satellite internet, like any platform, isn’t completely immune from authoritarian intimidation. And while SpaceX is providing a critical service in the moment, the company, and Elon Musk, are private entities whose goals aren’t guaranteed to align with values of free speech, or even the foreign policy interests of the United States. “The fundamental issue is that the interests of Elon Musk are not the interests of the United States,” Gordon LaForge, a researcher at the think tank New America, tells Fast Company. “Sometimes they might be in alignment, but sometimes they won’t be.” Limited access Right now, even as protests overtake much of the country, only a small number of Iranians there have access to Starlink terminals, which are generally needed to connect to the country’s constellation of low-Earth satellites. This hardware can be difficult to come by. Iran doesn’t have authorized Starlink sellers, which...

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