Stories
Starlink poses serious security risks to India, reveals Takshashila report
- •A research paper by the Takshashila Institution warns that Starlink services pose severe risks to India's internal security.
- •Concerns arise over Elon Musk's unpredictable behavior, political influence in the U.S., and close ties with Donald Trump.
- •Starlink devices were previously detected during ethnic tensions in Manipur and by smugglers in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- •The company refused to share user details with Indian authorities, citing data privacy laws and demanding requests go through U.S. law enforcement.
- •India imposed strict security conditions on GMPCS license holders, while IN-SPACe rejected Starlink's Gen 2 constellation application.
Key Questions Answered
A research paper by the Takshashila Institution warns that Starlink services pose serious risks to India's internal security due to American influence, the relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and the technical nature of Starlink. The report highlights that India may find it difficult to safeguard its internal security and could lose the ability to control the internet for emergencies, disasters, or conflicts.
In May 2025, the Indian government imposed additional security conditions on GMPCS license holders, requiring real-time monitoring facilities and routing Indian user traffic exclusively through domestic gateways. Furthermore, IN-SPACe rejected Starlink's Gen 2 constellation application in January 2026 because India still lacks a regulatory framework for direct-to-device capabilities. The Centre also dismissed Musk's allegations that oligarchs were blocking Starlink as baseless, stating its framework is fair and non-discriminatory.
Starlink's Low Earth Orbit satellites orbit closer to the Earth than conventional satellites and use electronic antennas to switch connections within milliseconds, making their signals hard to block using traditional methods. Additionally, because the satellites are constantly moving, accurately targeting them is difficult, and authorities cannot independently ascertain what happens in space despite inspecting ground gateways.
