US Congress probes Elon Musk’s Starlink over Myanmar scam links

US lawmakers in the Congress have initiated a probe regarding Elon Musk owned Starlink’s alleged involvement in providing internet access to Myanmar scam centers.

The satellite business is also accused of defrauding billions of victims globally.

The investigation came on the heels of revelation, demonstrating the appearance of a large number of Starlink dishes on scam-centre roofs in Myanmar during the crackdown.

The crackdown occurred in February is meant to eradicate the centers, as per investigation by Agence France-Presse.

According to data from the APNIC Asian regional internet registry, within no time Starlink has become the war-ravaged country’s biggest internet provider.

The US Congress joint economic committee said they launched an investigation in July. The committee has the power to make Musk testify before it.

Senator Maggie Hassan, the leading Democrat on the US congressional committee, has called on Musk to cut the Starlink service to the fraud centers.

“While most people have probably noticed the increasing number of scam texts, calls and emails, they may not know that transnational criminals halfway across the world may be perpetrating these scams by using Starlink internet access,” she said.

According to the UN 2023 report, around 120,000 people are being compelled to carry out online scams in the Myanmar centers.

Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX and Tesla, has not yet commented on the investigation and alleged scam links.