5 comments

  • adiabatichottub 1 hour ago
    I learned from a BSides presentation that Ukranian military are using Starlink trancievers placed in pits to beat ground-based signal detection. Do with that what you will.
    • tantalor 42 minutes ago
      Wouldn't they be easily detected from airborne drones?
      • XorNot 9 minutes ago
        No, because the collimating effect on the beam would still require you to have line of sight to the emitter, and if a drone is able to get that close without being intercepted then something else has already gone wrong.

        But this is also an example of weird absolutist thinking about military tactics: is it unbeatable? No. Does it complicate the surveillance and detection picture? Yes.

  • mlmonkey 1 hour ago
    Maybe we need to start a GoFundMe to sponsor some of these Starlink terminals.... ?
  • hirako2000 32 minutes ago
    I thought that was exactly how the spies got made. As Iranians figured they could just narrow the signal.
  • bhouston 2 hours ago
    I suspect the Internet blackout in Iran is not actually related to its citizens - it isn't about silencing its citizens.

    It is to prevent hacking and tracking by US and Israel of what is going on over there, it is defensive since it has been shown that Iran's connected infrastructure is thoroughly compromised.

    • burnrate 2 hours ago
      It’s 100% to prevent citizens from becoming organized. The regime is most fearful of this.
      • xbmcuser 1 hour ago
        I think the regime narrative is mostly made up by Americans what's the difference between any of the Arab countries from Iran. The only difference is they are not controlled by America. It the same bullshit narrative of promoting democracy but in reality it's just about pushing for a government no matter how bad as long as it supports US control.
        • boc 44 minutes ago
          Iranians are not Arabs and thousands of them got gunned down earlier this year protesting the regime. "America bad" doesn't change the fact that the Iranian people deserve a better future.
        • E-Reverance 1 hour ago
          FYI it’s not an Arab country
          • xbmcuser 49 minutes ago
            [flagged]
            • halflife 17 minutes ago
              Wow, there are no words. You would rather live in Tehran or Tel Aviv?
            • tptacek 30 minutes ago
              It's not an Arab country at all. Iranians are Persian, not Arab. Iran is low-key at war with most of the gulf Arab states.
              • xbmcuser 5 minutes ago
                And no where in any of my statements did I call it an Arab country. I was just calling out hypocrisy of the west when realistically Iran regime is as good or bad as any of the Arab countries or even the untouchable Israel.
      • fgfarben 13 minutes ago
        which is the exact same reason China bans Starlink.
      • tokioyoyo 29 minutes ago
        How did people organize pre-Internet times though?
      • recroad 1 hour ago
        What an ignorant take.
      • sysguest 2 hours ago
        this

        well... so obvious

      • bigyabai 2 hours ago
        There's multiple motives, not just counter-organization. A media blackout prevents OSINT damage analysis, much like how the IDF and CENTCOM both censor reporting of attacks on their in-theater installations.
    • tjwebbnorfolk 1 hour ago
      The internet is only off for those who don't have a special sim card, i.e. those who aren't associated with the IRGC.
    • adam_arthur 1 hour ago
      The blackout started back in January before the US even got involved.

      Due to widespread protests and an attempt to crack down on coordination. This chain of events was widely reported.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Internet_blackout_in_Iran

      • Ancapistani 34 minutes ago
        It definitely ramped up with the invasion. I watched the webcam streams go dark.
    • throwawayheui57 21 minutes ago
      It’s defensive indeed! It’s defense against the people whom the regime is most afraid of!
    • ShabbyDoo 1 hour ago
      Is Iran's domestic internet still fully operational (sans access to/from the outside world)? If so, I wouldn't think the cut-off would help much security-wise because a single Starlink terminal would allow the US/Israel domestic access.
    • stingraycharles 2 hours ago
      How do people communicate now? And why wouldn’t that be compromised?
    • rayiner 2 hours ago
      Except that Iran has been doing it since 2019: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_Iran
    • mullingitover 1 hour ago
      Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for pointing out the obvious: yes obviously the US and Israel will exploit the information system of their enemy if they can, and it’s absolutely rational to deny them the opportunity to do so.
      • throwawayheui57 30 minutes ago
        Should internet and outside access be cut for people of Gaza and Lebanon too? Aren’t they targeted by Israel as well?