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…#Trump WH ofcls said that #Starlink had “donated” the service &…had been vetted by the WH Counsel’s #ethics lawyer.
Fmr ofcls were unclear about how such a donation could work.
Clare Martorana, fmr chief #information officer during the #Biden admin, said typically people cannot simply give #technology to the govt.…The WH’s chief information officer would need to sign off on a new system to ensure it was properly secured, as would the chief information officer at GSA.

…The WH is the latest govt property on which #Starlink now operates.

In recent weeks, Starlink was also set up at the #GSA, which has served as a hub for #Musk’s government-shrinking efforts…

While several #FederalAgencies contract w/Starlink, the satellite service is typically used to provide internet access in emergency situations & to remote locations — not at federal buildings in DC, which already have ample internet options.

…It was…unclear if #Starlink communications were #encrypted. At a minimum, the system allows for a network separate from existing WH servers that people on the grounds are able to use, keeping that data separate.

“It’s super rare” to install Starlink or another #internet provider as a replacement for existing govt #infrastructure that has been vetted & secured, said Jake Williams, a VP for R&D at Hunter Strategy, a #cybersecurity consultancy. “I can’t think of a time that I have heard of that.”

@Nonilex

If I wanted to siphon off all gov't data and I owned a satellite based network that's how I'd do it, too.