March 10, 2025
SpaceX installs Starlink at White House bypassing federal security protocols
SpaceX internet installation through distant data center prompts self-dealing concerns
🛡️National Security🔐Ethics💡Technology
On 2025-03-10, a SpaceX team installed Starlink service routed through a distant government data center on the White House roof (Fortune)
White House staff said the installation aimed to fix “overtaxed” Wi-Fi (TechDirt)
The consumer-grade Starlink kit used at the White House retails for $1,499 (Reuters)
46% of voters viewed the White House Starlink move as a “serious security concern” in a Morning Consult poll (Morning Consult)
Tesla’s stock dipped 4% the day security warnings about the White House Starlink installation hit headlines (Reuters)
Under 18 U.S.C. § 208, special government employees are barred from participating in matters affecting their own financial interests (OGE statute)
TechDirt’s headline described the installation as a “cybersecurity nightmare” and a “transparency problem” (TechDirt)
A contractor’s LinkedIn post by Keith King first provided public photos of the Starlink dish on the White House roof (LinkedIn)
Security experts warn that SATCOM hijack via a “Bent-pipe” attack can redirect user traffic through a rogue transponder (Washington Post)
🛡️National Security🔐Ethics💡Technology
Test Your Knowledge
10
Q1
Morning Consult found what percent of voters viewed the Starlink move as a “serious security concern”?
Q2
TechDirt"s headline called the installation a "cybersecurity nightmare" **and** what?
Q3
Reuters reported the Starlink unit used at the White House retails for roughly…
Q4
Why did White House staff say Starlink was installed on 10 March 2025?
Q5
Why did lawmakers say Musk’s unpaid adviser role creates a conflict of interest with Starlink?
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Rep. Katie Porter
during a Jun. 2025 oversight hearing called the installation “a marketing stunt on the taxpayer’s dime” (GovExec)
Sen. Ron Wyden
requested a GAO investigation into whether the White House’s sole-source procurement of Starlink violated federal acquisition rules (Reuters)