Starlink’s rapid growth in Amazonia raises concerns about Brazil’s digital sovereignty

The desire to ‘develop and connect’ may obfuscate democratic debate and work contrary to local populations’ interests, says scholar Luisa Lobato.  In this interview, she reflects on how satellite technologies like Starlink are reshaping the Amazon – not just through infrastructure, but though politics, power and the redefinition of territorial control.

You have a background in international relations. Why look at Starlink in the Amazon?

Starlink has grown extremely fast since its arrival in 2022. Just one year after launching, it had already become the primary provider of satellite connection in the Amazonian territory. This rapid expansion raises concerns about market monopoly and its potential social consequences. We saw signs of this last year, when the owner, Elon Musk, threatened to cut off service in response to legal actions taken against his other company, X.com, by the Brazilian Supreme Court. This is a lot of power for one company to suddenly amass. There are also concerns about sovereignty and control. Any owner of a digital infrastructure or platform can access the data flowing through it, and though this might not happen, it’s technically possible. China, for example, doesn’t even allow Starlink in its territory.

How did Starlink grow so fast in such a short time?

The deal with Starlink began during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, when his Minister of Communications invited Silicon Valley companies to invest in the country. Musk’s SpaceX, via its Starlink project, was quick to accept the invitation, and there was a public exchange between the two men on X.com. They framed Starlink’s presence as being about connecting the disconnected (rural schools, remote places, etc.). Elon Musk was portrayed almost as a “saviour” who would bring connectivity, education, safety, and even "civilization" to these places. Now, despite an increase in the percentage of connected households, Amazonia continues to face connectivity challenges due to inconsistent public policies and limited incentives for market actors to invest in cable broadband infrastructure. The idea that one company can replace serious, consistent public policy for connectivity is, of course, far-fetched. Also, worryingly, this process resembles the ‘discourse of development at any cost’ during the dictatorship, when the military government encouraged the destruction of the forest to build modern infrastructure and activities such as mining and logging—all in the name of developing and colonizing an ‘empty’ territory. Forgotten in all of this were the real people already living there.

And the real people, aren’t they happy with Starlink?

Yes, of course, many locals want a reliable and speedy internet connection. But the case of Starlink goes beyond simple connectivity. It is a case of both ideological affinity—Bolsonaro called Musk ‘a myth of freedom’—and a pronounced conflict of interest, where some of those involved in making Starlink operational in the country also benefited from partnerships with the company. In Amazonia, Starlink was sold by politicians as a service that would support schools and local communities, which, in theory, would also benefit those who live in the forest and preserve it. However, not everyone can afford the service, and it has been reported that Starlink antennas were found on sites of illegal mining. Also, local politicians have considered laying off teachers and replacing them with remote education made possible with Starlink. In a poorly educated region, it’s hard to see how that serves the interests of the locals.

So what should Brazil do, if the locals want internet and Starlink can provide it?

First of all, I think it is important to understand that technologies like Starlink are not neutral. They never are. There are market and political interests involved in the expansion of such services, and there is data collection and data control. This is relevant when a powerful foreign company dominates your market—especially when that foreign company is directly connected to a radical government, like Elon Musk is to Donald Trump. There is a reason why the Brazilian government after Jair Bolsonaro is seeking other market actors to compete with Starlink. There is no question that people in the region want internet, but we need to discuss: what kind of internet do we want to have, and at what cost? Historically, big development projects and extractive industries have benefited from access to such infrastructure. We need to change that and focus on the needs and rights of the people who live in the territory.

What expectations do you have for COP30?

The role of technology in implementing environmental goals is widely emphasized by NGOs, intergovernmental organisations, companies, and academia. But we must also consider the impact that the COP30 event itself has on local policy and decision-making. Here, Starlink is a good example. Since last year, the Pará state government—where COP30 is taking place—has purchased several Starlink antennas, either to strengthen environmental monitoring or to serve as a backup system for the Pará State Bank. This latest purchase, worth 20 million Reais, is reportedly linked to damage to the fiber optic infrastructure caused by the intense construction work in Belém in preparation for the conference. So, the pattern we see here is that Starlink is presented as an emergency solution, which allows for more flexible— and often expedited—contracting processes, but with little or no public control. Strategic decisions are taken without democratic debate—which is particularly worrying in a region marked by historical disputes over sovereignty, territory, and rights.

Luisa Cruz Lobato is an international relations scholar and the coordinator of the Digital Humanities Lab at PUC Rio de Janeiro. Her work crosses disciplinary lines within the humanities, especially about technology, governance, and international security. Her current research is focused on the Amazon region, in particular the expansion of Starlink infrastructure.

August 25th, 2025.