The internet provided by Starlink, Elon Musk’s company, has been sold in online groups of illegal miners who work on the land of the Yanomami indigenous people, in Roraima, according to Carta Capital magazine.
Even in remote areas, as is the case in this region, Starlink’s signal is excellent, as it is via satellite.
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On WhatsApp, the Starlink antenna is sold for up to R$9,500, around four times the price charged on the company’s website. The monthly fee is also above normal and costs BRL 2,500, ten times more than the company’s basic plan.
In Brazil, there is no inspection of the use of the internet with illegal activities in the Amazon. However, the resale of Starlink’s services goes against the company’s rules, but does not indicate punishment for offenders.
The same WhatsApp users who offer Starlink also sell illegally mined gold and cassiterite. The Brasil de Fato portal contacted Starlink’s legal representative, Vitor Urner, to find out if the company will curb the sale of its antennas to illegal miners.
He replied that he was not authorized to take a public position and there are no phone numbers available for advisers. However, Carta Capital alleges that it located Viasat advertisements.
Illegal miners have been selling Starlink antennas since November 2022, with the product arriving two weeks ago. On January 31, an antenna was installed in one of the areas most affected by mining, a health center in the Surucucu region.
The expansion of internet speed helped to increase the productivity of the activity, not to mention that social networks have services, such as transportation in illegal mining areas and the sale of mercury.
With information from Carta Capital
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