As Elon Musk's SpaceX goes public, government officials are raising the alarm about Starlink's risks to Australia
Hi! I just published As Elon Musk’s SpaceX goes public, Australian government officials are flagging Starlink’s risks . Later this week, Elon Musk’s SpaceX will go public. Naturally, there will be a lot of attention on how it could make Musk the world’s first trillionaire, or on whether the business fundamentals of SpaceX justify the valuation. What I’m interested in is a different question: what will Musk do with the tens of billions of dollars raised in the float? This story looks at how the Australian government is privately lagging the risks that Starlink presents to Australia — and how those risks could grow if SpaceX is even better resourced and Musk is even more insulated from consequences. Starlink is clearly a very useful business. Its ability to bypass government control was seen as a positive when people in Iran used it to stay in contact with the outside world during internet blackouts. But that same capability creates challenges for Australia’s ability to enforce laws and rules that govern how people use the internet and connect with each other. That is particularly important given Musk’s alleged history of using this capability to cut off or restrict service at his own whim, and his clashes with Australia and other Western governments that have chosen to regulate his companies. Thanks, CW P.S. I love tips . I also love hearing what people think about stories and can promise 100% confidentiality for anyone who contacts me. Message me on encrypted messaging app Signal or send me a secure email here .