A bipartisan committee in the U.S. Congress has reportedly begun a probe into Elon Musk‘s Starlink satellite business for its alleged involvement in providing internet access to scam centers in Myanmar.
Starlink Is Myanmar’s Largest Internet Provider
Scam centers using Starlink internet services have been accused of swindling billions of dollars from victims worldwide, as per an investigation by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Satellite images and drone footage show frenetic building work in the heavily guarded compounds around Myawaddy on the Thailand-Myanmar border, which appear to be using Starlink satellite internet service on a huge scale, according to the report.
Now, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee told AFP that they launched an inquiry into the role of Starlink in providing internet services to the scam centers. It has the authority to compel Musk to testify.
SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not respond to a request for comment.
China, Thailand, and Myanmar reportedly coerced pro-junta Myanmar militias, who safeguard the centers, into pledging to “eradicate” the compounds in February. This led to the release of about 7,000 individuals, mostly Chinese citizens, from the call center-style system, which the UN says operates on forced labor and human trafficking, according to the report.
Despite this, Starlink has surged to become the country's largest internet provider within three months, according to data from the APNIC Asian regional internet registry.
AFP's satellite image analysis found extensive construction at KK Park and other suspected scam centers, including the "notorious" Shwe Kokko sites, in the Myawaddy cluster between March and September.
‘Abhorrent’
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), the top Democrat on the U.S. congressional committee, urged Musk to suspend Starlink services to these fraudulent centers.
She told AFP, “While most people have probably noticed the increasing number of scam texts, calls, and emails, they may not know that transnational criminals halfway across the world may be perpetrating these scams by using Starlink internet access.”
This is not the first time that Starlink’s activities have come under scrutiny. In July, Hassan urged Musk to halt Starlink access for criminal organizations in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network had reported that these groups defrauded Americans of billions of dollars.
Former California prosecutor Erin West stated, “It is abhorrent that an American company is enabling this to happen.”
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