--- title: "SpaceX Could Cut Your Starlink Internet Service If You Pirate Movies" description: "SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service isn't going to give you a pass for downloading copyright-infringing content online." date: "2021-05-06" modified: "2021-05-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-could-cut-your-starlink-internet-service-if-you-pirate-movies" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Could Cut Your Starlink Internet Service If You Pirate Movies ![SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service isn't going to give you a pass for downloading copyright-infringing content online.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Starlink Piracy SpaceX's [Starlink]() satellite internet service isn't going to give you a pass for downloading copyright-infringing content online. According to pirate redditor "substrate-97," SpaceX promptly sent them a notice once they attempted to download show illegally online, as [*PCMag* reports](). "We must insist that you and/or others using your Starlink service refrain from illegal downloads of copyrighted content," the notice received by the user read. "Downloading copyrighted materials without a license may lead to suspension or termination of your service, and put you at risk of legal action by the content owner." SpaceX has made great progress in establishing its Starlink satellite constellation, with over 1,300 satellites already in orbit. According to CEO Elon Musk, [upwards of half a million]() users have signed up for the service. ## Sailing the Seas Substrate-97 attempted to download a "CBS show" from the US via a torrent, a popular peer-to-peer method commonly used to share pirated shows and movies. In other words, Starlink internet service is just like any other internet service in the country when it comes to bootlegging material online. Starlink lists "violating SpaceX’s or any third party’s copyright, trademark, proprietary, or other intellectual property rights" as a violation of its [Acceptable Use Policy](). While the Redditor expressly tried to trigger such a warning by downloading illegal content without spoofing their IP address, it's trivially easy to do so — not that Futurism will ever endorse using a VPN service with the intent to download copyright infringing material. Just, you know, watch your backs. **READ MORE:** [Don't Try to Pirate Movies on SpaceX's Starlink]() \[*PCMag*\] **More on Starlink:** *[Space Junk Is Literally Making the Sky Brighter, Astronomer Say]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()