Technology

34904 readers

638 users here now

This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.

Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.

Rules:

1: All Lemmy rules apply

2: Do not post low effort posts

3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff

4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.

5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)

6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist

7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

MinutePhrase@lemmy.ml

328

Lawsuit alleges SpaceX underpays women and minorities (gizmodo.com)

submitted 1 year ago by mrmanager@lemmy.today to c/technology@lemmy.ml

35 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[+] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works -7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

AFAIK, Starlink didn't "collude" with anyone, they just stopped offering free service. I think that was a jerk move, but I doubt there's any kind of political collusion.

[–] firadin@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Turning it off right when Ukraine was about to launch an offensive, definitely no collusion there what a coincidence on the timing.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My comment was inaccurate, here's a potentially more accurate reason for why Starlink didn't enable access for Ukraine:

Musk was now claiming that at the time of the in-question situation, Starlink access around Crimea was not turned on. The reason was because the U.S. had imposed sanctions on Russia, and SpaceX was not allowed to turn on connectivity in Crimea without explicit government approval. Moreover, Musk said, Ukraine didn't give SpaceX any "advance warning or heads up." He said he got urgent calls from the Ukrainian government in the middle of the night saying that he needed to turn on Starlink access in Crimea.

Basically, Starlink never operated in Crimea due to US sanctions on Russia, and the Ukrainian president made urgent calls to enable it. Musk continues:

He added that although he's not U.S. President Joe Biden's biggest fan, if he had received a presidential directive to turn on Starlink connectivity in Crimea, he would have done so, because he does "regard the president as the chief executive officer of the country." But no such requests came through, he said.

So that sounds reasonable. Starlink never operated in Crimea, and enabling it for Ukraine there could be considered an act of war.

So again, I don't see political collusion here, instead the opposite: Musk didn't want to spark more hostilities.