Infrastructures of Illegality
Starlink and the Digital Facilitation of Criminal Mining in the Amazon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31501/clogia.v19i1.16771Abstract
Satellite constellation infrastructures like Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are often touted as solutions to digital exclusion and enablers of individual freedoms. The reality, however, is far more complex. Starlink satellites have been used by illegal miners in the Brazilian Amazon, exacerbating deforestation, environmental degradation, and violence against Indigenous populations. This study, therefore, examines the sociotechnical, environmental, and political implications of deploying satellite constellations like Starlink. Through the lens of critical infrastructure studies, the research analyzes how these technologies, rather than being neutral, reproduce power dynamics and exploit regulatory gaps. Methodologically, this study, based on documentary research, underscores the urgent need to rethink the governance of technological infrastructures in the Global South and to demystify narratives portraying technology as neutral and/or as inherently beneficial.
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