Musk Defends Limiting Ukraine's Use of Starlink

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Facts

  • SpaceX founder Elon Musk defended his company's decision to limit Ukraine’s military use of Starlink — the satellite internet service provider — stating that the company would not allow an escalation of the Ukraine conflict that could lead to World War III.1
  • Musk's defense came after SpaceX's chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell, last week announced that the company had taken steps to prevent Ukraine's military from using the service for operating drones as Starlink was not intended 'for offensive purposes' — prompting backlash from Ukrainian politicians.2
  • On Saturday, former US astronaut Scott Kelly urged Musk to restore the service, stating on Twitter: 'Defense from a genocidal invasion is not an offensive capability. It’s survival. Innocent lives will be lost. You can help. Thank you.'3
  • In response, Musk stated that Kelly was smart enough not to 'swallow media & other propaganda bs,' that Starlink is the 'communication backbone' of Ukraine, and that the company 'will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3.'4
  • Musk added that Starlink was not intended to be used by militaries and that the company has not exercised its right to completely disable the service for Ukraine's armed forces. 'We’re trying hard to do the right thing, where the 'right thing' is an extremely difficult moral question,' he said.1
  • Similarly, Musk tweeted in September that Starlink was designed for peaceful uses only, and the terms of use state that the internet connections are not for military engagements.3

Sources: 1Politico, 2Guardian, 3FOX News and 4Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. Musk has rightly come under fire for limiting the Ukrainian military's use of Starlink. It's a critical piece of infrastructure that's helping Kyiv fend off Russia's unprovoked invasion.
  • Narrative B, as provided by FOX News. As Musk has stated, SpaceX is fully entitled to limit how Ukraine can use Starlink given that its terms make clear that it's not for military use. Ukraine's military should be thankful it's still able to use it for other purposes outside of drones.