Why starlink has still not yet allowed anonymous crypto prepaid accounts

Greg Newby gbnewby at pglaf.org
Wed May 25 22:00:26 PDT 2022


I've been on the Starlink waiting list since it opened for my area. I live too far north to receive service from the current constellation, and await deployment of the satellites that are more polar orbiting.

Wikipedia has a useful and fairly up-to-date article about Starlink. You can see live satellite location information here: https://satellitemap.space/#

The reason I'm writing is that Starlink requires you input your actual physical location, before you can get service. The antennas won't get service if they're not at that location.

This is the same approach that Hughsnet etc. use for geosynchroneous satellite Internet service: Your antenna will only receive in the location you subscribed for. (Yes, they have more expensive options for portability, also.)

Starlink has a new (rather expensive) RV service that is portable.

But for stationary service, which is all that was offered until recently, Starlink knows where you are (or at least, where your antenna is).

I'd say that this makes attempts to use Starlink anonymously rather ineffective, since Starlink, at least, knows your location.

I agree there should be opportunities for anonymous purchases and payments, but that would not be a great way of hiding from Starlink or anyone they choose to share their data with.

This doesn't seem much different than any other Internet subscriber system, regardless of whether you can pay or purchase anonymously: they know where you are, even if your subscription isn't in your name.
  ~ Greg


On Thu, May 26, 2022 at 04:33:10AM +0000, professor rat wrote:
> Hazarding a guess I would say Mollusk is set on Brinworld solutions and we all just saw that confirmed in his Twitter machinations. He's now making Zuckface look respectable!
> 
> I don't have to point out the earth-bound dangers of such a foolish policy since this list has been analyzing them for decades now.
> States like fascist Russia, China and Iran must regard the Mollusk as a Godsend.
> 
> What's new and adds an ever growing danger is the threat from potentially hostile aliens.
> 
> The further out into space we go the more crypto-anarchist infrastructure we'll need.
> 
> Hypothetically its not difficult to imagine an advanced civilization, or federation, condemning us all on the basis of one human individual raping a wilderness planet for no good reason.
> 
> The longer Mollusk ( and the NASA too btw ) carry on planning to violate the Prime Directive the more danger we are all exposed to.
> 
> Fuck that for a joke - all wannabe Mars colonists have earned killing. 


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