10/27/25, 11:16 AM U.S. Congress Starlink investigation threatens internet access in Myanmar - Human Rights Myanmar Starlink outages were reported in October 2025, days after the investigation was made public. A similar concern of a disproportionate international response is seen regionally. detained people and confiscated Starlink devices in Thailand under the justification that they are unlawfully imported and could be destined for scam centres. A default assumption that all Starlink devices heading The Thai authorities have to Myanmar are intended for scam centres prevents vital communication technology from reaching the country. The military is actively encouraging this assumption, with the aim of encouraging Starlink to withdraw all services. SpaceX’s obligations under international standards Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), Starlink’s owner, SpaceX, has a responsibility to respect human rights. Although Starlink falls under U.S. jurisdiction and the service is not officially licensed in Myanmar, SpaceX still has a responsibility to its users in the country. These users are legitimate, paying customers who have purchased the service in another country and use its official “global roaming” service, which is designed to provide connectivity worldwide. The UNGPs expect companies like SpaceX to continuously conduct due diligence to identify and mitigate the actual and potential human rights risks associated with their services. As Myanmar is a conflict-affected and high-risk area, SpaceX should conduct heightened due diligence. This means understanding both the negative impacts (enabling scam centres) and the positive, protective impacts (providing internet to those in conflict zones). Based on this assessment, SpaceX should then take appropriate and proportional action to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts. The principle of proportionality is key: the action taken must not create a greater human rights harm. Crucially, this due diligence also applies to the process of ending a service. A company should consider the foreseeable human rights impacts of ceasing its operations or business relationships. A sudden, blanket withdrawal of the Starlink https://humanrightsmyanmar.org/us-congress-starlink-investigation-threatens-internet-access-in-myanmar/ 3/7