Brazil strikes deal with Musk's Starlink to curb criminal use in the Amazon rainforest
Brasilia, BRAZIL (AP) — Brazil's Federal Prosecutor's Office announced Friday a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to curb the use of its services in illegal mining and other criminal activities in the Amazon.
Starlink's lightweight, high-speed internet system has rapidly spread across the Amazon, a region that for decades struggled with slow and unreliable connectivity. But the service has also been
adopted by criminal organizations
, which have used it to coordinate logistics, make payments and receive alerts about police raids.
It's the first agreement of its kind aimed at curbing such use following years of pressure from Brazilian authorities.
Starlink, a division of Musk's SpaceX, will begin requiring identification and proof of residence from all new users in Brazil's Amazon region starting in January. The company will also provide Brazilian authorities with user registration and geolocation data for internet units located in areas under investigation.
If a terminal is confirmed to be used for illegal activity, Starlink has committed to blocking the service. The deal is for two years and can be renewed.
Illegal gold mining
has contaminated hundreds of miles of Amazon rivers
with mercury
and disrupted the traditional lives of several Indigenous tribes, including the Yanomami. Starlink, which first arrived in the region in 2022, has enabled criminal groups to manage mining operations in remote areas, where logistics are complex and equipment and fuel must be transported by small plane or boat.
'The use of satellite internet has transformed the logistics of illegal mining. This new reality demands a proportional legal response. With the agreement, connectivity in remote areas also becomes a tool for environmental responsibility and respect for sovereignty,' federal prosecutor André Porreca said in a statement.
Illegal gold miners and loggers have always had some form of communication, mainly via radio, to evade law enforcement. Starlink, with its fast and mobile internet, has significantly enhanced that capability, Hugo Loss, operations coordinator for Brazil's environmental agency, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
'They've been able to transmit in real time the locations of enforcement teams, allowing them to anticipate our arrival, which seriously compromises the safety of our personnel and undermines the effectiveness of operations,' Loss said. 'Cutting the signal in mining areas, especially on Indigenous lands and in protected areas, is essential because internet access in these locations serves only criminal purposes.'
Jair Schmitt, head of environmental protection for the agency, said what's also needed is tighter regulation on the sale and use of such equipment.
The AP emailed James Gleeson, SpaceX's vice president of communications, with questions about the deal, but didn't immediately receive a response.
___
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's
standards
for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
AP.org
.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
California energy regulator recommends pause on plan to penalize excess oil profits
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California should pause Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to penalize oil companies if their profits climb too high, a top energy regulator said Friday while unveiling proposals aimed at addressing high gas prices. The Democratic governor signed a law in 2023 giving the California Energy Commission the authority to penalize oil companies for excess profits, declaring the state had 'finally beat big oil.' More than two years later, the commission hasn't imposed a single penalty or determined what counts as an excessive profit. Now, Siva Gunda, the energy commission's vice-chair, says the state should pause the effort in favor of pursuing other policies to lower prices and maintain a steady oil supply — all while pushing to phase out reliance on fossil fuels over the next two decades. 'Together, we will evolve California's strategy to successfully phase out petroleum-based fuels by 2045 while protecting communities, workers, and consumers, and foster market conditions that support the industry's ability to operate safely, reliably, and successfully to meet demand through the transition,' Gunda wrote in a letter to Newsom. Gunda's recommended pause of the penalty would have to be agreed upon by the full commission. Newsom has pitched the penalty as a way to rein in profits by oil companies, but critics said it would only raise prices. California has the highest gas prices in the nation, largely due to taxes and environmental regulations. Regular unleaded gas prices were $4.61 a gallon Friday, compared to a national average of $3.20, according to AAA. The commission still plans to set rules that would require oil refineries to keep a minimum level of fuel on hand to avoid shortages when refineries go offline for maintenance, Gunda said. That proposal came out of a law Newsom signed last year after convening a special session aimed at preventing gas price spikes. Gunda's recommendations come months after Newsom in April directed energy regulators to work with refiners on plans to ensure the state maintains a reliable fuel supply as it transitions away from fossil fuels. Newsom spokesperson Daniel Villaseñor said in an email that the governor would review the recommendations and 'advance solutions that maintain a safe, affordable, and reliable supply of transportation fuels for California.' Two major oil companies announced plans over the past year to shut down refineries in the state, further driving uncertainty about how the state should maintain a stable fuel supply as California transitions toward renewable energy. Phillips 66 announced plans to shut down its Los Angeles-area refinery, and Valero said it would cease operations at its Benicia refinery. The two refineries combined account for more than 17% of the state's refining capacity, according to the energy commission. A group of about 50 environmental and consumer groups penned a letter to Newsom and legislative leaders Friday criticizing the proposal to pause implementing a penalty on oil company profits. ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket creates nebula-like ring in night sky
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. During the early hours of June 25, 2025, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off into space, headed for the International Space Station. The launch was part of the private Axiom-4 space mission carrying four astronauts on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket that often carries cargo, Starlink satellites, or crew members in its corresponding Dragon spacecraft. Its reusable system aligns with SpaceX's mission to make spaceflight less costly, and thus more accessible. When the rocket's first stage booster returns to Earth for launch site landings, the stage's boost back burn can sometimes create these plumes of exhaust high in the atmosphere. The Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is currently headed for the International Space Station. The Ax-4 launch is a mission of "firsts," as it carried the first ever-people from India, Hungary and Poland into space, including pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu. Leading the team is former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, currently Axiom's director of human spaceflight. Ax-4 was not easy to get off the ground, however. The mission faced two weeks of delays since its original launch date of June 11, 2025. These delays were caused by high winds as well as leaks on both the launch vehicle and the ISS. But finally, on the morning of June 25, 2025, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched, ferrying the crew toward the ISS. Once there, the astronauts will spend two weeks in orbit and conduct over 60 experiments before returning back to Earth. You can read more about the Ax-4 mission and SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as the private spaceflight sector continues to expand into our night skies.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mexico Threatens SpaceX Lawsuit After Texas Explosion
Mexico's president is threatening a lawsuit against American innovation — again. This time, it's Elon Musk's SpaceX that's in the crosshairs, after a recent rocket explosion at the company's Starbase launch site near Boca Chica, Texas. The site, located just miles from the southern border shared with Mexico, has become a symbol of both cutting-edge space technology and international friction. During a press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her administration is reviewing alleged 'contamination' from debris that crossed into Mexico during a test failure last week, per The Guardian. The explosion, which occurred during a routine ground test of the Starship system — as previously covered by The Dallas Express — sent a fireball into the sky, a spectacle that has become a fairly routine part of developing powerful next-generation rockets. 'Just a scratch,' Musk posted to X after the explosion. Sheinbaum claims that the fallout violates international law and says her government is preparing 'the necessary lawsuits' to hold SpaceX accountable. However, U.S. officials, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — have already reviewed environmental concerns surrounding the program. As recently as May, the FAA approved an increase in annual launches from five to 25, saying that the launch activity would not pose significant environmental threats, including to wildlife along the Gulf Coast. The rhetoric from Mexico's president appears to be following a familiar pattern. In May, Sheinbaum's government said it was suing Google over labeling in its Maps application, after the tech company allegedly renamed the 'Gulf of Mexico' the 'Gulf of America' for some users. SpaceX, which employs thousands in South Texas and draws global attention to the Lone Star State's emerging role in space exploration, has not commented publicly on the potential lawsuit as of time of publication. Still, Texans watching this latest dispute may see it as yet another example of foreign leaders targeting American companies for political leverage. For now, SpaceX continues to push forward with development — even if the 'path to Mars' Musk dreams of seems to draw critics from outsiders, or legal heat from Mexico's leaders. As previously reported by DX, earlier this week a multinational team of four private astronauts successfully reached the International Space Station, completing a landmark mission by Houston-based Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX. Launched Wednesday aboard SpaceX's new Dragon capsule nicknamed 'Grace' from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crew docked with the ISS after a 28-hour journey. SpaceX confirmed the docking in a video post, celebrating the mission's smooth arrival.
