04 · Digital Inequality · 2026
Starlink, shutdowns, and digital inequality in Iran
A critical analysis of how satellite connectivity can preserve communication while redistributing cost, risk, and dependency.
OwnershipFour-person team project — contribution documented
I contributed to background research and the evaluation, wrote the conclusion and recommendations, prepared my slides, and presented the suggestions and conclusion.
Research question
To what extent does the smuggling and use of Starlink during shutdowns reshape digital inequality in Iran?
Approach
From question to evidence.
- 01
Combined the traditional access–skills–outcomes model of digital inequality with Adverse Digital Incorporation, which makes risk and cost-shifting visible.
- 02
Evaluated the intervention through economic access, technical knowledge, legal and physical risk, state repression, and dependence on a private infrastructure provider.
- 03
As part of a four-person team, I contributed to research and evaluation, then took responsibility for the written conclusion and recommendations and presented those sections.
What the work found
The team concluded that satellite access can preserve communication for some people during shutdowns, but does not remove inequality. Money, smuggling networks, technical skills, visibility, and legal risk shape who benefits—and reliance can shift toward a private company and geopolitical decisions.
Limitations & next step
The recommendations treated connectivity as a rights issue, argued against reliance on a single private actor, considered direct-to-cell development, and called for inequality frameworks that include censorship, surveillance, shutdowns, and infrastructure control.
Evidence from the source work
Selected artifacts.
Methods & tools used here