India ready to greenlight Starlink – as long as it lets New Delhi censor, snoop

India’s telecom regulator has signaled it’s ready to let Starlink and other satellite-broadband providers operate – but only if they agree to strict conditions, including setting up “special monitoring zones” within 50km of land borders where law enforcement and security agencies are permitted to monitor users. That’s just one …

[Anonymous Coward]

A feee speech absolutist like Musk should tell India to shove it up their ass over these stupid snooping requirements. <Same to Australia>

Practical needs of vast counties with poor comms in the deep rural sticks will overrun restrictions.

[Paul Crawford]

But he wont...not if big money is involved...

[Michael Hoffmann]

Musk is an absolutist of HIS free speech, not anybody else's, as he's demonstrated over and over.

[Stuart Castle]

He should, but he won't. Despite claiming to be, he appears not to be a free speech absolutist. He often says that if you advocate for free speech, you have to be prepared to hear or read things you don't like. This is correct. However, people who post things on X that Musk doesn't like, tend to disappear. Not banned, but their posts lose visibility. This is subtle, but it is censorship none the less.

It should be noted, however, that when he promised free speech on his services, he did not promise totally free speech. He promised free speech subject to local laws and other government requirements. He did actually say it would be subject to local laws.

[simonb_london]

We should rename "governments" to "inflictments" because that's what they do.

[Andy The Hat]

No difference to the UK "digital push"

Snooping is interesting.

As someone in the UK who has a landline, I believe if the authorities wish to "tap" my phone line they still have to apply for a warrant, general connection data is not mandated to be recorded. However, given the current push to "full fibre digital" and "you can't have a phone line with that except if you get a VOIP provider" and "sorry you are on 2G but you cannot transfer your full open payg tariff to 4G so we need you personal details for a contract" is this not pushing those basic levels of communication into a condition where they must be logged as requested by the state? It seems that mail is going to be the only thing left (currently) that requires a warrant to be snooped on. Slippery slopes and all that.

[Anonymous Coward]

"his [Musk's] position on free speech is more expedient than principled."

Have to be a contender for the 2025 No Shit Sherlock Award. :)

Space Karen should be quite proficient now in identifying fascists - he has the salute off pat, not to mention the black attire and field cap (soft kepi) he sported in the Oval Office.

[codejunky]

Hmm

So the question is will Musk follow the law in a country for his products sold and used in that country. I assume that is the expectation of countries everywhere isnt it?

[Jamesit]

I just read this on Common Dreams.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/elon-musk-starlink

"'The Corruption Is Staggering': Trump Officials Push Tariffed Nations to Approve Musk's Starlink"

"The glaring conflict of interest inherent in this pressure to preference a Musk-owned company is disgusting," said Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert."