Brazil Seizes Starlink Antennas in Amazon: Illegal Mining Sparks Investigation and Legal Disputes
October 19, 2024Starlink's cooperation with Brazilian authorities has improved recently, as the company has begun providing user registration data for ongoing investigations.
The company has been embroiled in legal disputes with Brazil's Supreme Court, resulting in its assets being frozen due to non-compliance with court orders.
Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, has faced criticism for its lack of robust security measures to protect Indigenous lands, including the absence of video calls and facial biometrics.
The company conducts only basic checks on customer information, asserting that no Brazilian law mandates stricter verification.
While Starlink claims it has the technical capability to track antenna locations and user identities, it cites legal restrictions on user data privacy as a barrier.
In an effort to address the issue, Starlink has deactivated 68 user terminals in the Yanomami territory that were suspected of violating service terms and has requested verification from the affected users.
Brazilian authorities have seized a Starlink antenna due to its use in illegal mining activities in the Amazon.
In response to these incidents, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the use of satellite internet for illegal mining, highlighting Starlink's inadequate user verification processes.
Prosecutor Cunha revealed that around 90% of the seized Starlink antennas in these illegal mining cases were registered under fraudulent names, known as 'oranges' in Brazil.
Since 2022, Starlink antennas have been increasingly utilized by illegal miners in the Amazon, particularly by those encroaching on Indigenous territories.
Since March 2024, at least 50 Starlink antennas have been confiscated from illegal mining operations within the Yanomami Indigenous Territory.
Prosecutor Cunha has criticized Starlink for allowing antennas to remain with fraudulent users and has called for stricter identity verification measures.
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Global Voices • Oct 18, 2024
Starlink resists making changes in identifying users in Brazil's Amazon region