Elon Musk’s Starlink internet system has become one of the most important technology developments in Ukraine’s defense against Russia, allowing Ukrainians access to a stable form of communication while their infrastructure is under attack.
But Knewz.com has learned that the system has become widely available on the black market, which has raised concerns that it is being used by nefarious regimes outside of the company’s official markets.
According to Bloomberg, Starlink, which uses small satellites to broadcast internet to its users, is being used in a civil war in Sudan and is widespread in Yemen, despite neither country officially operating the service.
The case of Sudan may provide the opposite example of Ukraine, as the technology is not being used for a desperate defense but instead is a tool for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group to facilitate its war on the government that has resulted in countless civilians being caught in the crossfire.
Starlink has arrived in Sudan despite international sanctions, and it has become widely available in the Darfur region (where the RSF operates from) to circumvent an internet that consistently cuts out. Darfur is home to a rebel movement, and a government crackdown between 2003-2008 was deemed a genocide that killed more than 300,000 people.
Experts told Bloomberg that the Starlink devices are turned online in Dubai before they are smuggled through Uganda and eventually trafficked into Sudan. Western diplomats and local business owners also use these devices for their internet access.
Starlink is expensive in Sudan, with people paying between $2 to $3 per hour in a country where the 2022 per capita GDP was $1,102, and it is believed to be widely used by RSF soldiers.
In Yemen, the use of Starlink takes on a different characteristic and is more akin to an act of defiance. The portals in Yemen are typically bought in Singapore or Malaysia and are used to circumvent the Houthi control of the telecom industry, which uses the industry as a source of revenue for the rebel group.
The Houthis have warned that anyone caught with a Starlink terminal would be severely punished, but Bloomberg reported that the terminals are openly sold on social media, and enforcement does not seem to be strict.
Starlink responded to the report and said it takes reports of illegal Starlink use, geolocates the device, and turns it off. However, the sheer volume of black market sales suggests that the illicit use of the product has overwhelmed the company’s ability to monitor its use.
One example is what happened in South Africa after the country successfully cut off its access to Starlink. Users in the country learned they could re-register the device in Malawi, a country in the southern African region that is not close to the South African border.
Customers then paid for a roaming subscription through the Starlink border and began using the internet in South Africa while they were “traveling” from Malawi.
Much like Yemen, people in South Africa were willing to risk a potential $265,000 fine to start their Starlink terminals, clearly not deterred by the hefty financial punishment.
The post Elon Musk’s Starlink Pirated for Unofficial Use in African, Middle East War Zones: Reports appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Kevin McSpadden
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