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Starlink may render existing content censorship outdated: ELSAM
Starlink has the ability to deliver internet directly to user terminals without disruption unlike through conventional internet service providers (ISPs).
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An antenna of the Starlink satellite-based broadband system donated by United States tech billionaire Elon Musk operates in Izyum, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 25, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
T
he entry of the Starlink satellite internet service is expected to render existing rules regarding digital services and censorship “outdated”, with government officials concerned about their ability to regulate online content with the entry of billionaire Elon Musk’s technology.
Starlink, a wholly owned subsidiary of Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, can deliver internet directly to user terminals without disruption unlike through conventional internet service providers (ISPs).
“This is causing headaches for several government agencies because they can no longer request [content] blockages,” said Wahjudi Djafar, executive director of rights group the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy for Society (ELSAM) during a media briefing held by the Indonesia Service Dialogue (ISD) on Tuesday.
“Now, regions like Papua could freely access anything with Starlink’s technology.”
Musk has frequently sparred with governments around the world about what is acceptable to post online, Al Jazeera reported on April 26.
Since the beginning of this year, Musk has faced legal battles against two countries, namely Brazil and Australia over compliance on his social media platform X, as reported by Reuters.
Despite the new problems that the service may present, Starlink’s entry provides an opportunity to revamp the country’s digital governance that remains sectoral-based and that is inhibited by overlaps between sectors and policies, Wahyudi said.
