Since 2019, the company SpaceX has been launching satellites into low orbit around the Earth. These objects work together to form an internet infrastructure. In theory, this network of satellites could provide internet connectivity to the entire world. Ukraine uses the service, for example, to maintain internet connectivity on the battlefield.
We are crowding our skies with a new kind of technological infrastructure. When governments speak of this system, they call it a “constellation.” We are literally placing new stars in the sky every week.
The infrastructure exists, but it is not open or free. The utility can be used at the whim of its owner.
“A combustible personality, the 52-year-old’s allegiances are fuzzy. While Mr. Musk is hailed as a genius innovator, he alone can decide to shut down Starlink internet access for a customer or country, and he has the ability to leverage sensitive information that the service gathers. Such concerns have been heightened because no companies or governments have come close to matching what he has built.
In Ukraine, some fears have been realized. Mr. Musk has restricted Starlink access multiple times during the war, people familiar with the situation said. At one point, he denied the Ukrainian military’s request to turn on Starlink near Crimea, the Russian-controlled territory, affecting battlefield strategy. Last year, he publicly floated a “peace plan” for the war that seemed aligned with Russian interests.”
This magnificent technology has the potential to offer an internet connection to every corner of the globe no matter how remote. It has the power to crack open oppressive governments by offering the citizens of every nation access to a web beholden to the First Amendment. Free speech, uncensored news, and a real connection with other people across the globe.
This is exactly what it should be used for.