Starlink can now use customer data for AI training
What's the story
SpaceX has updated the Global Privacy Policy for its satellite internet service, Starlink. The new version, effective January 15, allows user data to be used for training machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI) models. It also permits sharing of this data with third-party collaborators and service providers unless users opt out. This change comes ahead of SpaceX's planned IPO later this year and potential merger talks with xAI.
Data usage
What data does Starlink collect?
Starlink collects a wide range of user data, including location, credit card and contact information, as well as IP addresses. The service also collects communication data such as audio-visual information, shared file content and inferences from other personal information. However, the new privacy policy does not specify what kind of data would be used for AI training purposes.
Privacy concerns
Privacy advocates concerned about potential misuse
The move to use personal data for AI training has raised concerns among privacy advocates and consumer rights groups. They argue that this practice could lead to increased surveillance and new avenues for misuse. Anupam Chander, a technology law professor at Georgetown University, said the change would "certainly raise my eyebrow" if he were a Starlink user.
AI development
Potential merger with xAI could enhance AI capabilities
Musk's xAI, which was recently valued at $230 billion after a funding round, is developing the Grok LLM chatbot. The potential merger with SpaceX would accelerate the deployment of AI-powered services on Starlink while providing xAI with vast new data sets for training its models. This includes communication data from Starlink's network of over 9,000 satellites serving more than nine million users.