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In this photo illustration, a Starlink dish and router are displayed on February 12, 2024 in San Anselmo, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America
Iranian authorities have implemented a near-total shutdown of the internet in a crackdown on widespread anti-government protests, but a sliver of the population is keeping in touch with the outside world by satellite.
Starlink, a division of Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, is playing an outsized — and in the eyes of overseas activists, crucial — role in connecting Iran with the rest of the world as the country’s leadership turns to force to try to quash the protests.
Starlink provides high-speed internet access, and can be used in many places where internet connections are hard to get, including rural areas and at sea. It has also been used in conflict zones before. After Russia’s invasion, SpaceX made Starlink available in Ukraine, and it quickly became crucial for civilians and the military.
More than 2,600 people have been killed so far in Iran’s crackdown, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. NPR has not independently confirmed this figure. There are some signs demonstrations are easing in Iran, with President Trump saying the killing appeared to be ending, as Iran calls off executions.
Activists say many of the images and videos of protests that have emerged since the blackout have come via Starlink.
Farzaneh Badiei, an internet policy researcher who follows Iran, said it plays an important role in keeping the outside world, and people inside Iran,…
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