--- title: "Starlink Terms of Service Demands That Users “Recognize Mars as a Free Planet”" description: "SpaceX recently kicked off a closed beta for its Starlink satellite broadband service called “Better Than Nothing.” Upon digging through the company’s terms of service, eagle-eyed Twitter user Whole Mars Catalog discovered that beta testers were signing up for a lot more than they might have thought. “For Services provided on Mars, or in transit […]" date: "2020-10-30" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/starlink-terms-of-service-demands-users-recognise-mars-free-planet" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Mars" - "Space" tags: - "elon musk" - "mars" - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Starlink Terms of Service Demands That Users “Recognize Mars as a Free Planet” ![Upon digging through Starlink's terms of service, eagle-eyed beta testers discovered they were signing up for a lot more than they might have thought.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Free Mars This month, SpaceX kicked off a closed beta for its [Starlink]() satellite internet service. Upon digging through the company's terms of service, an eagle-eyed Twitter user [discovered that beta testers]() were signing up for a lot more than they might have thought. "For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities," reads Starlink's terms of service. "Accordingly, Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement." https://twitter.com/WholeMarsBlog/status/1321264245674106880 ## Mars Comms The news comes a week after SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell [revealed in a *TIME* interview]() that the space company is planning to bring a Starlink-like service to the Red Planet as well. "Once we take people to Mars, they’re going to need a capability to communicate," Shotwell told *TIME*. "In fact I think it will be even more critical to have a constellation like Starlink around Mars." ## Martian Democracy SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has some bold plans: colonize Mars and establish a [city by 2050](). To do just that, the company is developing a [massive spacecraft called Starship]() to send cargo and eventually passengers to the Red Planet. Musk has spoken about the laws that will govern his space company's Martian colony before. During SXSW 2018, [Musk told audiences]() that "most likely, the form of government on Mars would be something of a direct democracy... where people vote directly on issues instead of going through representative government." **READ MORE:** [SpaceX Starlink: User terms of service declare Mars as 'free planet']() \[*Inverse*\] **More on Starship:** *[SpaceX Installing Nosecone on Starship That’ll Fly to 12 Miles]()* ## 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]()