SpaceX says it has cut Starlink services to Myanmar scam camps

Elon Musk’s SpaceX says it has cut Starlink satellite communications links to more than 2,500 devices used by scam compounds in Myanmar.

More than 30 compounds are believed to operate along the Thai-Myanmar border, where people from all over the world are trafficked and forced to work in scams that generate billions of dollars annually.

In announcing the move, Lauren Dreyer, head of Starlink Business Operations, said the firm rarely takes action if it identifies a breach.

Termination of service is as follows Monday’s occupation of one of the largest compounds, KK Park, Myanmar’s military has recaptured territory lost to insurgent groups over the past two years.

Campaigners have long warned that Starlink technology has enabled mainly Chinese crime syndicates to operate from remote locations across the border.

Myanmar has become notorious for these operations, which defraud victims through romantic games and bogus investment schemes.

Workers are lured under the guise of legitimate employment, only to be captured and forced to commit criminal acts.

Survivors recounted horrific conditions, long hours, torture and beatings for failure to meet targets. Many of the victims are from African countries.

“In Myanmar… SpaceX proactively identified and disabled 2,500 Starlink kits around suspected ‘scam centers,'” Dreyer said in a post on X .

“We are committed to ensuring that the service remains a force for good and maintains trust around the world: both in connecting the unconnected and in detecting and preventing abuse by bad actors,” she added.

On Monday Myanmar’s military said it had “cleared” Keke Park, freeing more than 2,000 workers and seizing 30 Starlink terminals.

Photographs show a satellite dish on the compound’s roof, and footage provided to the BBC shows thousands of workers walking through KK Park.

However, at least 30 other scams are active at the compound border, employing thousands of people globally. Many are protected by militia groups loyal to Myanmar’s military, and it is unclear whether they have also lost access to the Starlink services they once relied on.

The centers have become a key component of Myanmar’s wartime economy, as the junta battles various rebel groups while relying on Chinese support to maintain its grip on power.