A-Infos (en) Brazil, OSL, Libera #182 - POWER, TECHNOLOGY, AND ELON MUSK (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

A recent controversy has brought to light a curious and instructive 
situation: the Brazilian Armed Forces depend on a foreign company for 
their communications. Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, provides 
satellite internet for Army and Navy operations in remote areas, such as 
the Amazon. It seems contradictory, but the country needs this 
technology to defend its sovereignty, while, in practice, it ends up at 
the mercy of a foreign company, led by a billionaire and, until 
recently, head of a department in the Trump administration.

The issue becomes even more complex when one considers that Starlink is 
linked to X, the former Twitter platform, also controlled by Musk. With 
control of a key telecommunications company and one of the world's 
largest social networks, Musk amasses considerable power. He can 
simultaneously influence public opinion and provide (or withdraw) 
critical internet services. This situation highlights the contradiction: 
Brazil needs a foreign company to guarantee its sovereignty, even if 
this also puts that very sovereignty at risk. The problem is not unique 
to Brazil. In the age of globalization and advanced technology, nation 
states have less and less control over what happens within their 
borders, and the ruling classes increasingly exert their power of 
domination. Giant companies like Starlink, Alphabet, and Meta operate on 
a global scale that governments often cannot keep up with. To give you 
an idea, Starlink has a constellation of more than 6,000 satellites in 
orbit, providing internet to regions where other technologies cannot 
reach. In Brazil, its antennas are installed in 90% of the 
municipalities in the Amazon. In other words, in many isolated regions 
of the country, Starlink is the only available option.
The European Union, faced with a similar scenario, decided to take 
action. In 2022, it launched IRIS, its own satellite communication 
system for the bloc's countries. The idea is to reduce dependence on 
foreign companies by offering an alternative controlled by European 
governments. The system is expected to be fully operational by 2027, 
demonstrating growing concern about this issue. Furthermore, the 
connection between Starlink and X increases Musk's influence. With 
control of the platform, he can shape debates and influence public 
opinion, something that could directly impact the policies of several 
countries, including Brazil.
Given all this, national sovereignty needs to be rethought, 
understanding that before relations between nations, there is the class 
struggle, present in all countries. The ruling classes don't just 
control physical borders; they control technological and informational 
infrastructures. Until we have our own secure infrastructure, we will 
always be subject to the interests of large global corporations. And 
this is a reality that extends far beyond Brazil, affecting oppressed 
classes worldwide.
In short, the Starlink case shows how technological dependence can 
weaken any project of self-managed popular power, and any deeper rupture 
in the system of domination today must take into account technological 
and communications infrastructures.

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