Traveling CodermanDec 21, 2022
Waldo Jaquith

If you think it’s trouble for Twitter to be hostage to the whims of Elon Musk, I encourage you to apply that thinking to Starlink.

Broadband, but rather than fiber in the ground that can be seized or resold or rerouted or regulated, instead thousands of satellites that are controlled only by Musk! To Musk this is a huge positive, but to the other 8 billion of us, it’s a huge negative.

We must not let broadband be Musked.

Dec 20, 2022 at 2:59pmTusker
Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 20, 2022
Starlink as a means of connectivity for the 1% of homes that are too remote to be practically served by fiber or fixed wireless? Great. Starlink as a primary method of connectivity much beyond that? We will regret it. Starlink as a primary means of connectivity for entire countries or regions of the world? A hostage situation waiting to happen.
Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 20, 2022
As @vijithassar writes in Wired, billionaires need to be part of our threat model. https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-elon-musk-open-source-platforms/
Billionaires Are A Security Threat

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is a case study in destruction. It doesn’t have to be this way.

WIRED
Show threadandrewDec 20, 2022
@waldoj dear lord yes. at this point, there’s at least a few of them that are more concerning to me than most state actors.
Show threadBrian GawaltDec 20, 2022
@andrew @waldoj
Here's a related Forever Wars piece by Sam Thielman: https://foreverwars.ghost.io/twitter-data-musk-saudi/?ref=forever-wars-newsletter
Twitter’s Secrets Are in the Worst Possible Hands

The social media company’s entire business was content moderation. Its “free speech” king has destroyed it. Now what? PLUS: Come see Spencer talk in Manhattan on Tuesday!

FOREVER WARS
Show threadKarin SorenbyDec 20, 2022
@waldoj @vijithassar interesting article. 🙏☺️
Show threadHandgunYoga (he/him/his)Dec 20, 2022
@waldoj @vijithassar
Imagine giving Musk a monopoly on your oxygen supply.
Show threadHandgunYoga (he/him/his)Dec 20, 2022
@waldoj @vijithassar
Imagine giving Musk a monopoly on your oxygen supply.
Show threadmathewDec 21, 2022
@waldoj @vijithassar It’s telling that the whole of infosec Twitter moved over to Mastodon, and many of them wiped their Twitter history.
Show threadStephan EggermontDec 22, 2022
@waldoj @vijithassar weird remarks about blockchain distract from the message
Show threadDoremus Jeƒƒup (Jeff Uphoff)Dec 20, 2022

@waldoj

Hang out with some astronomers if you want to hear more opinions about Starlink. ;)

Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 20, 2022
@juphoff Boy have I heard! (And seen—those ruined images are a bummer.)
Show threadAnton Stöckl ✅Dec 21, 2022
@juphoff @waldoj Fancy to supply a summary or a link? :-)
Show threadSteve "PodcastSteve" LubetkinDec 20, 2022
@waldoj star link under Elon Musk’s control? Unacceptable infrastructure risk.
Show threadCurt OlsonDec 20, 2022
@waldoj We moved to a slightly rural area that is between service areas, so centuryl*ink DSL (company name obscured) is our only option. We are on the waiting list for starlink, but rumors are swirling that service quality and caps are going down as the system fills up.
Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 20, 2022
@clolsonus They’ve been sold, so that’s not even your monopoly anymore.
Show threadJim DuncanDec 20, 2022
@waldoj Starlink as a back backup is great. Starlink in the hands of a Dr Evil wanna be? Bad.
Show threadNelson MinarDec 20, 2022
@waldoj I worry about this since I'm one of those folks for whom Starlink is by far the best option right now. I'm a little hopeful that Amazon / Project Kuiper or OneWeb will succeed in building a competing service. Also so far Musk's malign influence hasn't affected the service, but it might.
It's got problems though. Customer support is terrible. And they continue to way oversell capacity, they have 2-3x the customers they can serve in the US.
Show threadSue StoneDec 20, 2022
@waldoj I think you're onto something here.
Show threadArneBabDec 21, 2022

@waldoj Thank you! Yes!

Mostly paid by the US government, but controlled by one person.

I read enough Tripoint¹ (C. J. Cherryh) to think about the rich and powerful as dangerous for their home nations.

¹: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance%E2%80%93Union_universe#Society

Alliance–Union universe - Wikipedia

Show threadArneBabDec 21, 2022
@waldoj (and looking at the things Musk tries to realize, I’m sure he read his share of similar Science Fiction, so he sees these possibilities)
Show threadTegalexDec 21, 2022
@waldoj I live in one of those places that has terrible Internet because of no infrastructure... Should I wait for alternative to starlink? I don't want to feed the Elon monster.
Actually, is someone else doing something about it?
Show thread@[email protected]Dec 21, 2022

@waldoj it won't be

All transmission media are limited in bandwidth, and the way around that is to create dedicated media, i.e. cables. Even with directed antennas, you're still largely sharing the space with All Other Users.

This is why mobile internet is great until Everyone starts using it and you need to get a new frequency band/standard for the new devices that only rich people can afford.

At least that's my understanding.

Show threadmathewDec 21, 2022

@waldoj There’s also the problem that China and Russia have the power to destroy Starlink satellites any time they want, and Russia has shown they can do it. This in turn means Elon has to do what they tell him.

And then there’s the possible issue of Kessler syndrome happening and the entire network collapsing in days permanently.

Show threadBob Mottram :debian:Dec 21, 2022
@waldoj I don't think I'd trust Elon Musk with anything at this stage. Definitely not as an ISP.
Show threadDan SinkerDec 20, 2022
@waldoj I am so annoyed because Starlink was going to be my future internet solution for our trailer. But now, hell no.
Show threadvandysDec 20, 2022
@waldoj I'm captive to Comcast (megacorp) or crappy, old, slow DSL CenturyLink (another megacorp). So now we should focus on StarLink because he's, what, invulnerable? Have you seen what it takes to run a satellite constellation? To launch replacements? And how often you have to do that? what kind of invulnerability is that?
Show threadhappyborgDec 20, 2022

@waldoj Oh, good one Waldo 👏, a new verb:

Musk - to buy up something of value to millions and ruin it

Show threadArlen StalwickDec 20, 2022
@waldoj This is a huge issue for (non-US (but also US)) national security as well. Rural Canadians are starting to rely on Starlink - it's far better than traditional last-mile internet providers can provide - and there are a LOT of reasons why it is a terrible idea to allow Canadian internet to be provided by US monopolies owned by erratic billionaires with wild conflicts-of-interest in a variety of other countries.
Show threadWaldo JaquithDec 20, 2022
@astalwick Absolutely.
Show threadDuke of Germany 💫Dec 20, 2022

@waldoj

And in addition to "Starlink", SpaceX now is a major communications provider for the US military with "Starshield".

This has so many unsettling implications I'd rather not think about it. 😶

Show threadOndřej PokornýDec 20, 2022
@waldoj One can easily imagine #Twitter being excluded from #Starlink's Fair Use Policy (data limits). Similar to what #Facebook #Zero is doing.
Show threadGlennDec 20, 2022
@waldoj Can you say "Nationalize" 😉
Show threadSoulScremeDec 20, 2022
@waldoj how about when he locks his critic out of their car? Its very much within reason.
Show threadJamesDec 20, 2022
@waldoj sat here on the side of a mountain in rural Spain, Starlink has been a saviour. It’s technically incredible and has been very fast and reliable and reasonably priced. But it’s 3x more than fibre in the nearest town, so I don’t think we need to panic that he’s about to control the internet.
Show threadEyeInHandDec 20, 2022
@waldoj The fact that Ukraine military relies on it in battle, and Musk could just have a moment and say, "banned!" . . . It's not a theoretical problem.
Show threadantipode77Dec 21, 2022

@eyeinhand @waldoj

#Ukraine

If Musk pulled the plug on Starlink for Ukraine there would surely be some behind the scenes arm twisting from the Ukrainian and/or American government.

The geopolitical impact of such an action is too large to let him just do whatever he wants.

A pretty big risk for Musk personally. Accidents can happen. 🥲

Show threadEyeInHandDec 21, 2022

@antipode77 @waldoj

There are many ways for Starlink service to Ukraine to suddenly "fail" without directly implicating the owner. Or any critical resource. Especially when said owner owes lots of money and favors to motivated investors around the world. Business, not personal, you understand.

Like you say, accidents can happen.

Show threadSalty Bonker 🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦 🇮🇱Dec 20, 2022
@waldoj nationalize it as an essential utility.
Show threadGiraffe Slava 🇺🇸🇺🇦Dec 20, 2022
@waldoj And our government should be giving a hard re-think about any defense contracts with Musk's companies.
Show threadbluerootsradioDec 20, 2022

@waldoj

I would be surprised if Starlink could support video streaming like YouTubeTV streaming.

On its face it's a truly noble project but if it's going to be used to hold people's connectivity hostage, then that's why I believe in governments.

Show threadSantam ChakrabortyDec 21, 2022
@waldoj
Internet and quality, unfettered connectivity should be public good and part of the human rights
Show threadDiegoDec 21, 2022
@waldoj plus the orbit pollution hell cause
Show threadニルス・スキニールDec 21, 2022
@waldoj
We are all morons to trust these guys.
Plus Musk get a lot of money from various governments to do this.
Show threadThien LeDec 21, 2022
@waldoj it’s funny that the internet controlled by governments would be somehow more decentralized than Starlink (if Starlink becomes a monopoly).
Show threadSpaceLifeFormDec 21, 2022

@waldoj

I understand your concerns.

But, you never know if DPA can be brought to bear.

Show threadJim DuncanDec 21, 2022
@waldoj on the times that I’ve looked up at the sky and seen his satellites being launched, I’ve always wondered who gave him permission
Show threadsj_zeroDec 21, 2022
Elon Musk is the richest person on earth solely due to the government you work for. SpaceX's biggest customer is the government you work for. Tesla is only barely profitable due to massive subsidies from the government you work for.

It's a bit rich hearing you complain about how rich and powerful he is when you and yours made him that way.
Show threadJJTurnerDec 21, 2022
@waldoj would only consider starlink if I can find a permanent VPN to run over it with bandwidth to match.
Show threadDCDec 21, 2022
@waldoj Also there's the effect of all those satellites on ground-based astronomy. ☹️
Show threadKirstyDec 21, 2022
@waldoj why does The Kingsman movie come to mind? Disaster.
Show threadDominique JuliaDec 21, 2022

@waldoj
Post-WW2, at least in Europe, the basic consensus was that all critical infrastructure was nationalized.
Reagan & then Thatcher in Europe set the tone in the 80's for privatization. Here we are now.

(If not Elon, a clone...).

Show threadChicagoSibDec 21, 2022
@waldoj REMINDER: CEO is the highest ranking member of a PUBLIC corp. Owner is the highest ranking member of a PRIVATE co.
#Elno
#StepDownFromOwnership
Show threadBrian Pierce MDDec 21, 2022
@waldoj I'd hoped to use #Starlink to finally be rid of the local cable company but they are looking less evil than #Musk at this point.
Show threadEric LawtonDec 21, 2022

@waldoj

As a rural dweller who wooul love broadband, but the major ISPs won't run fibre or cable even 5 km to serve 50 people, I still say no to Starlink.

Who gave him possession of our skies?

Show threadAlbatrossDec 21, 2022
@waldoj Well and what can be the possible outcome for Starlink? The satellites only last five years - does Musk actually have a business model that can turn a profit while perpetually funding new satellite launches? We're in the "lose money build the system" stage of venture #capitalism with #StarLink - what happens when investors want to see a profit?
By then #Musk will have sold the company to some suckers who will take the fall when the #satellites aren't replaced.
Show threadxs4me2Dec 21, 2022
@waldoj Musk should be investigated. In 1911 Standard Oil was broken up under the Sherman Antitrust Act. It is what should happen here too. To much power in one man is not in the interest of 8 billion people.
Show threadCatsSimsBooksDec 21, 2022
@waldoj I don't think it's that dire. There's 3 other big providers of satellite broadband, and from what I've read, Starlink at best matches the service provided by them. They can't even guarantee their main selling point, low ping. They just have good publicity (outside the astronomy community).
Show threadJune CasagrandeDec 21, 2022
@waldoj But ... but ... Musk and Putin only had one little innocent chat about "space," presumably debating whether Pluto should be a planet or something along those lines.🤔 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1579879154463690752
Mr. Tweet on Twitter

“@NorthmanTrader No, it is not. I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.”

Twitter