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SpaceX is cracking down on Starlink dish sales in countries where it doesn't have an official presence.

The company recently sent emails to authorized Starlink resellers about revising the terms and conditions for offering the satellite internet service. SpaceX is now banning them from shipping Starlink hardware to countries where it doesn’t operate, even for display purposes, unless they get permission from SpaceX.

Starlink's terms of service already had a clause for customers about complying with export control laws and only using the satellite internet service in authorized areas. But it’s possible third-party resellers played a significant role in fueling Starlink sales in unofficial markets, hence the clampdown. SpaceX currently lists nearly 130 authorized Starlink resellers.

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SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Although Starlink is available in over 150 markets, it's still waiting for regulatory approval elsewhere. It will likely never launch in regions like China and Russia, partly because of its ability to circumvent online censorship.

The satellite internet service excels at delivering high-speed broadband to rural and remote areas, including the frontlines of the Ukraine war. In 2022, the US also greenlit Starlink service for Iran after the country’s government moved to heavily censor the internet. But at the same time, bad actors have abused the satellite internet system.

(Credit: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images)

Last month, SpaceX touted disabling over 2,500 Starlink dishes in Myanmar, where organized crime has been exploiting the satellite internet service to conduct online scams across the globe. The Ukrainian government has also raised alarm bells about Russian soldiers using Starlink in occupied areas of Ukraine to receive satellite internet access. 

Meanwhile, Iran has complained to the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union about unsanctioned Starlink activity within the country, and demanded it be shut down.