Since October 16, some Telegram channels have been spreading false claims that the American satellite internet company Starlink is about to suspend its services in Myanmar’s border areas.
Channels with over 4,000 subscribers, including Digital Daily and Kyaw Gyi, have circulated claims such as ‘Starlink services will be suspended at the Myanmar border’ and ‘If the local terrorist group, the People’s Defense Force (PDF), loses access to Starlink, it won’t be able to raise funds and will struggle.’
The posts reached between 500 and 2,000 views across various channels. Viewers then reshared them, causing the content to go viral on social media.
Kyaw Gyi - https://archive.ph/1d2pO
The Karen Information Center (KIC), a member of the Myanmar Fact-Checking Network (MFCN), reviewed the content and confirmed that the claims were false.
Fact-checking
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Starlink’s internet network, owned by billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, has been misused by telecom scam operations along the Thailand-Myanmar border.
AFP added that the US Congress Joint Economic Committee is investigating whether Starlink has any involvement in telecom scam operations.
Citing the AFP report, The Irrawaddy published a Myanmar-language translation of the article.
On October 16, SpaceX suspended Starlink services around telecom scam hubs in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, near the Thai border. KIC had already reported this development.
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