SpaceX says it has disabled more than 2,000 Starlink devices connected to scam compounds in Myanmar after politicians and others called on the company to crack down on scammers using its kits for fast satellite internet.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Lauren Dreyer, the vice-president of Starlink\u2019s business operations, said<\/a> in a post on X Tuesday night that the company \u201cproactively identified and disabled over 2,500 Starlink Kits in the vicinity of suspected \u2018scam centers\u2019\u201d in Myanmar. She cited the takedowns as an example of how the company takes action when it identifies a violation of its policies, \u201cincluding working with law enforcement agencies around the world.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n It was unclear when the devices were taken offline. SpaceX did not immediately respond to questions.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Advocates fighting against human trafficking have accused the company for months of facilitating scamming operations by failing to crack down on Starlink\u2019s use for cybercrime. A Wired review<\/a> of cellphone connection data earlier this year found the technology was being used in at least eight compounds near the Thai border. In February, the Thai government cut off electricity and internet access<\/a> to a handful of compounds across the border in an attempt to restrict criminals\u2019 access to the tools needed to conduct scams.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Starlink reportedly filled the void, however, leading a Thai politician to tweet at Elon Musk asking him to address the matter.\u00a0 <\/p>\n @elonmusk<\/a> We\u2019ve been exposing scam centers in Southeast Asia and uncovered solid proof that cybercriminals in this region are exploiting Starlink for massive fraud\u2014causing over $60 billion (USIP report,2024) in global economic damage each year and involved in human trafficking as\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Rangsiman Rome (@RangsimanRome) February 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n In July, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) also called<\/a> on Musk and SpaceX to crack down on their illicit use.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u201cSpaceX has a responsibility to acknowledge any role that Starlink has played in facilitating scams emanating from Southeast Asia, and to block these criminals from using the service to target Americans,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>\n Dreyer\u2019s post publicizing the Starlink takedowns followed an announcement<\/a> on Monday by the Myanmar government that it had shut down a large scamming operation on the border with Thailand and had seized dozens of Starlink devices. Authorities detained more than 2,000 people in the raid on KK Park, a notorious cybercrime complex on the edge of Myawaddy.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Myanmar has recently experienced a handful of high-profile raids at scam compounds which have garnered headlines and resulted in the arrest, and in some cases release, of thousands of workers. A crackdown earlier this year<\/a> at another center near Mandalay resulted in the rescue of 7,000 people. Nonetheless, construction is booming within the compounds around Mandalay, even after raids, Agence France-Presse reported<\/a> last week.\u00a0 <\/p>\n