Waldo Jaquith, a technologist with extensive experience working in information technology for the U.S. government, is raising concerns about Elon Musk’s latest scheme. Jaquith is alarmed by reports that Musk is integrating his Starlink satellite system into the White House.
According to a New York Times article, “the Starlink system is now said to be routed through a White House data center, with existing fiber cables, miles from the complex.”
Jaquith, who previously managed federal government IT telecommunications contracts, immediately pointed out the potential security risks.
“Hi, I’m the guy who used to oversee the federal government’s agency IT telecommunications contracts,” he wrote on BlueSky. “This is extremely bad. There is absolutely no need for this. Not only is it a huge security exposure, but the simplest explanation for this is that it is meant to be a security exposure.”
The New York Times report also noted that Starlink is spreading across federal agencies.
“In recent weeks, Starlink was also set up at the General Services Administration, which has served as a hub for Mr. Musk’s government-shrinking efforts, according to documents and people familiar with the service,” the report stated.
