By Shivm Mehta
Alongside SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk also owns Starlink, a satellite internet service powered by SpaceX. Starlink has thousands of satellites orbiting Earth that provide internet across the globe, especially to regions with low connectivity. Examples include Ukraine, Myanmar, and Sudan.
Recently, a new country has joined the list of Starlink benefactors: Iran. At least the Iranian people. Iranian citizens have faced constant turmoil and oppression throughout the past few years. High inflation, low standards of living, and unbearable costs have caused many Iranians to take to the streets, urging their government to take action.
For those unfamiliar with Starlink, the satellites will only be able to provide internet if someone on the ground has a Starlink unit that can connect to the satellites. Given that Starlink is banned in Iran, activists have had to smuggle Starlink units into the country for years, oftentimes hiding them inside other objects when inspected. Some reports claim that these underground channels have been able to smuggle tens of thousands of Starlink’s devices since 2022. Those caught with these devices risk confiscation, imprisonment, and even execution. The Iranian government has increased their awareness of such devices in recent months, seizing them at checkpoints or initiating raids.
That brings us to January 2026, when the Iranian government shut down mostly all internet access in the countryside in response to the widespread protests. As one of the most severe blackouts in Iranian history, this was meant as a method to prevent organization and sharing of information within the mob. This is no surprise to the citizens, however, who are used to having the government tightly control internet access and block communication platforms during previous protests.
However, this time the citizens do have Starlink. The technology continues to work in places where Iranian citizens have smuggled equipment allowing videos and protests to spread within the country, as well as the outside world. While the Iranian government has been working on jamming these signals, making them unreliable in some regions of the country, communication is happening, in large part, due to Starlink.
This sudden use of Starlink in Iran has also had many people wondering about Musk’s involvement within the conflict. Speculation and reports indicate that Starlink services are accessible to Iranians free of charge during the blackout, helping get information out of the economy-impaired country.
While this may be just another conflict in the Middle East, this also represents the bigger issue of freedom of expression, and brings up a lot of questions about how large corporations are involved in world affairs.
Is Starlink allowed to interfere with foreign affairs? Who is behind this operation? Should a private tech company decide the outcome of protests related to human rights?