Iran Blocks Starlink Website After Elon Musk Expands Access to the Country
UPDATE: The internet monitoring group NetBlocks says it hasn't detected Iran blocking Starlink.com from within the country. But it's possible the Iranian government's widespread crackdown of internet services has nevertheless disrupted access to Starlink.com.
"Our metrics indicate that Starlink's website isn't subject to general filtering measures in Iran and remains largely available as of today," said Alp Toker, director for NetBlocks. "That said users who are offline or otherwise affected by rolling mobile blackouts and regional internet disruptions may not be able to get through to this or other websites."
Original story:
The Iranian government is now reportedly blocking access to Starlink.com after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he was activating the satellite internet service for users in Iran.
London-based Iran International reported(Opens in a new window) the blocking on Saturday, and included a screenshot(Opens in a new window) of the Starlink.com website being inaccessible from within the country, citing reports from local media outlets and users.
The day before, Musk tweeted he was activating Starlink in the country after the White House relaxed sanctions to allow tech companies to expand internet services to Iran. The US did so in response to Iran’s ongoing crackdown(Opens in a new window) on social media and cellular services in a bid to stymie widespread protests in the country.
SpaceX’s Starlink system could help local users access the internet, free of censorship. The technology works by leveraging orbiting satellites, which can beam high-speed broadband to almost any location on the planet.
Still, it won’t be easy for local Iranian users to gain access to SpaceX’s satellite internet service. That’s
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