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The billionaire's conflict with Brazil raises important questions about the Starlink monopoly.
Over the past two years, Starlink, the brainchild of Elon Musk's SpaceX, has revolutionized the lives of hundreds of remote communities in the Amazon. Regions previously cut off from civilization have finally gained access to the Internet and communication with the rest of the world. It would seem that the dream of a global network even in the most inaccessible corners of the planet has come true. The success of Starlink in Brazil was then so impressive that the country's government awarded Musk a medal for his contribution to the development of the region.
Today, however, this technological idyll is overshadowed by a serious political conflict. Starlink was at the epicenter of the confrontation between the owner and the Brazilian authorities. The reason for the discord was another company of the billionaire - the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The conflict erupted after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded that X block dozens of accounts, mostly belonging to right-wing politicians and commentators. The judge explained this by the fight against misinformation, but Musk regarded de Moraes' initiative as censorship of conservative voices.
The billionaire ignored the court's demands, which led to fines and the freezing of Brazilian Starlink assets. The situation escalated to the breaking point when de Moraes ordered the shutdown of access to X throughout the country. In response, Musk said that he would not block the site through Starlink until the companies returned the frozen funds.
This incident once again demonstrated Elon's willingness to confront anyone who would infringe on the interests of his business. The situation has already gone far beyond personal conflict and reflects a global debate about free speech.
This dispute has highlighted another worrying trend: Elon Musk is turning into a real "god of the Internet". The combination of the space internet and social media in the hands of one person is unprecedented, and no less troubling than governments' attempts to censor the web. Now Musk can not only determine whose voices will be heard, but also decide who will have access to the network in some regions of the world. In the five years of its existence, Starlink has become truly ubiquitous, providing connectivity on all seven continents. The billionaire sent terminals to disaster areas and even to the front line.
In 2023, Elon visited Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The billionaire inspected a kibbutz attacked by Hamas and offered Starlink's services to the government. After long negotiations, the Israeli authorities allowed SpaceX to activate Starlink in one of the hospitals in Gaza, with the prospect of expanding the service.
All these events show how significant Elon Musk's influence on world politics has become. His actions can have far-reaching consequences, comparable to the decisions of heads of state.
Now there are more than 6000 active Starlink satellites in orbit around the Earth - more than half of all functioning satellites. SpaceX launches new batches almost every week, well ahead of competitors such as Amazon, which are also working to build their own internet constellations.
Source
Over the past two years, Starlink, the brainchild of Elon Musk's SpaceX, has revolutionized the lives of hundreds of remote communities in the Amazon. Regions previously cut off from civilization have finally gained access to the Internet and communication with the rest of the world. It would seem that the dream of a global network even in the most inaccessible corners of the planet has come true. The success of Starlink in Brazil was then so impressive that the country's government awarded Musk a medal for his contribution to the development of the region.
Today, however, this technological idyll is overshadowed by a serious political conflict. Starlink was at the epicenter of the confrontation between the owner and the Brazilian authorities. The reason for the discord was another company of the billionaire - the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The conflict erupted after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes demanded that X block dozens of accounts, mostly belonging to right-wing politicians and commentators. The judge explained this by the fight against misinformation, but Musk regarded de Moraes' initiative as censorship of conservative voices.
The billionaire ignored the court's demands, which led to fines and the freezing of Brazilian Starlink assets. The situation escalated to the breaking point when de Moraes ordered the shutdown of access to X throughout the country. In response, Musk said that he would not block the site through Starlink until the companies returned the frozen funds.
This incident once again demonstrated Elon's willingness to confront anyone who would infringe on the interests of his business. The situation has already gone far beyond personal conflict and reflects a global debate about free speech.
This dispute has highlighted another worrying trend: Elon Musk is turning into a real "god of the Internet". The combination of the space internet and social media in the hands of one person is unprecedented, and no less troubling than governments' attempts to censor the web. Now Musk can not only determine whose voices will be heard, but also decide who will have access to the network in some regions of the world. In the five years of its existence, Starlink has become truly ubiquitous, providing connectivity on all seven continents. The billionaire sent terminals to disaster areas and even to the front line.
In 2023, Elon visited Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The billionaire inspected a kibbutz attacked by Hamas and offered Starlink's services to the government. After long negotiations, the Israeli authorities allowed SpaceX to activate Starlink in one of the hospitals in Gaza, with the prospect of expanding the service.
All these events show how significant Elon Musk's influence on world politics has become. His actions can have far-reaching consequences, comparable to the decisions of heads of state.
Now there are more than 6000 active Starlink satellites in orbit around the Earth - more than half of all functioning satellites. SpaceX launches new batches almost every week, well ahead of competitors such as Amazon, which are also working to build their own internet constellations.
Source
