SpaceX Prepares to Comply with 'Lawful Intercepts' for Cellular Starlink System | Hacker News Reader

SpaceX Prepares to Comply with 'Lawful Intercepts' for Cellular Starlink System

pcmag.com

22 pointsrosaleia0009 comments

I wonder if Starlink could be used for tracking (non-Starlink) cellphones, in countries hostile to the US (so that the telecom's cell towers are not accessible). Is there enough leaked signal in low orbit, and enough data in that signal, to identify individual devices?

AFAIK, all of the US' signals intelligence satellites are in very high orbits (geosynchronous), so this probably isn't a pre-existing capability.

There is a company that already does this, they use it to track ships that turn off their transponders or AIS systems. I think it was shared on hn recently, but I can't find the article anymore

Oh yeah, I saw that one too! Don't remember what tech they were using.

I think that's the one: https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/lockheed-is-now-tracking-...

They would have to be designed to do that. The current system are likely tuned to the 1900 MHz band that they have negotiated with carriers.

The US does have low altitude sigint satellites, specifically Navy constellation.

Like https://www.he360.com/products/rfgeo-radio-frequency-signal-... ?

Starlink seeks to intercept much more than phone calls. https://wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starshield#Starlink_milita...

At this point, when you see a sufficiently large American business you should instantly assume they are deep in bed with American intelligence and probably the defense industry too. Just a friendly heads-up to anyone that was holding out for Yahoo and Hotmail to protect their whistleblower status or store their state secrets.

> At this point, when you see a sufficiently large American business

No need to single out American business, this is just as true - if not more so - for e.g. Chinese business. It is probably true for any business which hails from or mostly does business in a country with a significant military/intelligence apparatus.

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