SpaceX says it has cut Starlink services to Myanmar scam camps

spacex says it has been disconnected internet access more than 2,500 starlink Terminals used by online scam operations myanmarFollowing reports that the company’s satellite network has become a vital lifeline for the billion-dollar industry.

Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink business operations, said x The company has “disabled more than 2,500 Starlink kits around suspected scam hubs” in Myanmar.

“We are committed to ensuring the service remains a force for good and builds trust around the world – connecting the unconnected and detecting and preventing abuse by bad actors,” Ms Dreier said.

This action took place after Myanmar militaryKK Park, one of the country’s most notorious scam complexes, was raided this week. The junta said more than 2,000 workers were released and about 30 Starlink terminals were seized.

a pre-investigation by AFP News agency reveals increased use of Starlink receivers at huge complexes along Myanmar border ThailandWhere criminal networks run online fraud schemes targeting victims around the world.

Footage reported by the BBC showed crowds of people leaving the KK Park complex on foot after the raid.

Witnesses told AFP that troops arrived in military trucks on Wednesday morning, leading to a chaotic evacuation.

The centers, largely run by Chinese crime syndicates, are known to force trafficked workers to run online romance and investment scams. Survivors have reported that they were beaten, tortured, or imprisoned if they failed to meet their targets.

Such scam networks have become more widespread in Myanmar’s wartime economy, where the military has been battling a range of rebel groups since seizing power.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that the cyber-fraud industry in Southeast Asia could defraud victims of up to $37 billion in 2023.

SpaceX’s Starlink network was previously unregistered among Myanmar’s internet providers, but by July it had become the country’s most active network, according to APNIC, the regional internet registry.

Myanmar’s military government has faced pressure from its main ally China to crack down on scam compounds that target large numbers of Chinese citizens.

But Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Nathan Russert told AFP the junta was attempting a “balancing act”, taking limited action to appease Beijing while protecting militias that benefit from the operation.

While the lights at KK Park were reported to be off as of Wednesday night, observers said several similar centers remained active along the Thai-Myanmar border.