THE DARK SIDE OF STARLINK
Elon Musk's Starlink has been lauded for its role in boosting connectivity and economic development across various parts of the world, from Ukraine to Africa. But experts are warning that the space-based internet provider is also being exploited for a more nefarious purpose: to empower insurgent and terrorist groups. According to a new investigative report by France's Le Monde newspaper, African extremist groups are exploiting the portable, high-speed internet service to strengthen their operations and communication capabilities in conflict zones.
Over the past two years, the study notes, there have been several known incidents in which Starlink satellite terminals were misused by groups like Boko Haram and al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) to livestream propaganda, coordinate real-time attacks, and evade surveillance. This activity is facilitated by lax regulatory environments; in places like Mali and Niger, Starlink is frequently used without formal government approval. As a result, many militants resort to smuggling in or purchasing Starlink terminals through third-party resellers in neighboring countries, with limited controls.
The result is a growing problem for the continent's fragile governments, in terms of militant messaging capabilities. The report notes that "as Starlink continues to scale up its coverage across the continent, experts are calling for urgent policy interventions to regulate satellite internet access in conflict-prone zones, lest it become a persistent enabler of asymmetric warfare." (Business Insider Africa, July 7, 2025)
A FAREWELL TO WHATSAPP?
Ever since the start of the Ukraine war roughly three-and-a-half years ago, Russia's already-unfree media ecosystem has seen a dramatic constriction, as the government of President Vladimir Putin has stepped up efforts to stifle dissent and control the narrative surrounding the conflict. One of the few platforms that has evaded significant curbs, however, has been WhatsApp – largely because the messaging application is widely used by officials and private citizens alike. That state of affairs, however, might not last much longer. According to opposition news website Meduza, its sources in the country say the Kremlin is almost guaranteed to ban WhatsApp in Russia in the near future, leaving its estimated 97.4 million users within the country without a critical means of communications.
That shutdown, if and when it happens, isn't just about censorship, however. In recent years, Russia's government has worked diligently to expand RuNet, its alternative local internet system – including by developing home-grown alternatives to applications that could be shut down as a result of conflict with the West. WhatsApp is one of them, and the expectation among officials is that its closure will naturally drive Russian netizens toward Max, the Kremlin's own state-run messaging app, which is now coming online. (Meduza, July 18, 2025)
PUTIN'S PUPPET NGO
According to leaked documents from a source close to the government of President Vladimir Putin, Russian propagandists are looking to win over critics and opposition activists using a new vehicle. Dialog, an "autonomous nonprofit organization" reportedly created on Putin's orders to spread disinformation, has been repurposing out-of-context YouTube material from figures like exile journalist Yuri Dud, who was previously declared a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities. When uploading these videos, Dialog employees insert their own pro-government messages in the descriptions and intentionally direct the clips to anti-Kremlin social media users via targeted ads.
To boost their legitimacy and expand their reach, Dialog propagandists have also focused on capturing the attention of independent Russian media outlets, even those forced out of the country by state censorship. As part of this strategy, Dialog pitches curated "special projects" and news stories that have reportedly been covered by "enemy" media outlets with strong opposition followings. Dialog's leadership sees this coverage as an opportunity to influence opposition-minded Russians by leveraging the audience and credibility of independent outlets. (Meduza, June 5, 2024)
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