Will Lebanon turn to Starlink in the event of war with Israel?
- by newarab
- Jul 29, 2024
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Following months of cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, tensions are at an all-time high.
Over the weekend, 12 Druze youths were killed in a rocket attack in the occupied Golan Heights which Israel blamed on Hezbollah. Despite the Lebanese group denying responsibility, Tel Aviv has vowed to respond forcefully, raising fears once again of a devastating regional war.
Amidst such vows of escalation, concerns of disruption to Lebanon’s internet - as has been happening in Gaza for months - are increasing, with mounting dread for the repercussions this would have on vital sectors across the country, already strained by a suffering economy.
Related How Israel is raising the risk of a regional war with Iran
Security fears around Starlink
The idea of having a US company operating in Lebanon and having unlimited access to internet services and users’ data is raising fears among some Lebanese security officials who say that Starlink may have implicit political motives in operating in Lebanon. According to reports, Israel is also looking to use Starlink services in case of a full-scale war.
Corm refused to comment on the sensitivity of intelligence concerns linked to the demands of having Starlink services in Lebanon.
“I am positive that everyone today is seeking a real alternative in case of an internet shutdown,” Corm stressed, adding that Starlink will not start operating in Lebanon without the approval of security forces and there will be “surveillance” over the service.
“The government will not be a mere third party in this arrangement,” Corm added.
Abed Kataya, Digital Content Manager at SMEX, an organisation that advocates for digital rights, disagrees.
“The Lebanese law grants the state a complete monopoly over the communications sector, which handles licensing and operation,” Kataya told TNA.
“What is happening now is that they are seeking to introduce [the Starlink] service without adherence to current laws. Rather, they are trying to introduce it into the country through governmental decisions and approvals, which constitutes a legal violation.”
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border attacks since October last year. [Getty]
Calls to activate Starlink services are not a recent phenomenon. Corm has been attempting to get security officials’ approvals since last year but has failed to win them over. This has reportedly led Washington to ramp up pressure on Lebanese officials, most notably Mikati, to approve Starlink operations.
According to reports, Mikati on 24 June requested to include the topic on the agenda of the government’s sessions to proceed with approvals.
“Amid the conditions we’re experiencing, citizens’ interests in the case of an internet outage must be considered,” argues Corm.
“Ukraine benefited from Starlink during the war with Russia, and the right of the Lebanese to have a secure connection cannot be ignored,” the minister added, noting that Starlink would be one option, and would probably be more costly so it would not entirely replace local internet service providers in Lebanon.
Still, security remains a major issue.
Kataya said that handing over users’ data to a private company connected to satellites raises multiple red flags. “Even if users try to view the privacy policies of Starlink, these policies are vague,” he said.
A group of researchers at Maryland University revealed in a study published in July that the location of Starlink users could easily be tracked, which constitutes a massive privacy threat, particularly for people in war zones.
"Some politicians in Lebanon have called for the activation of Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by US billionaire Elon Musk, to ensure continuity to the country's internet connection in the event of war"
Such security concerns were already raised relating to Starlink’s deployment in Ukraine, with Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence claiming that Russian forces used Starlink in occupied areas. SpaceX, an American aerospace company of which Starlink is a subsidiary, denied these claims and said they do not collaborate with Russia or its military.
“Starlink can be effective if implemented legally, while ensuring that all companies and all local service providers are protected as well and that everyone benefits from this service, to provide a comprehensive solution that operates under a legal umbrella in the event of an Internet outage,” Kataya said.
However, amidst widespread accusations of political corruption and the government’s monopoly over the telecommunications sector in Lebanon, observers doubt such an altruistic implementation.
For example, nonprofit organisations noted how the government managed, through court orders, to block access to some websites including online gambling, pornography, religiously provocative material, extremist ideology, and Israeli websites, without notifying website owners and allowing them only 48 hours to file an appeal.
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