Did the tech billionaire really use satellite- based technology to ‘steal’ the election for Donald trump? No- uoting equipment is not typically connected to the internet.
Some social media users cliam to have found an explanation for Vice president Kamala Harris;s 2024 election loss. They say billionaire Elon Musk,s Starlink technology manipulated votes to benefit President- elect Donald Trump.
Starlink is an internet provider that uses satellites to provide connectivity it’s a subsidiary of Musk’s commercial spaceflight company SpaceX.
“Musk’s Starlink uploaded votes in swing states, one November 10 Threads post said. “Swing state voters went Dem downballot but Trum at the top? Unlikely. Starlink satellites exploding, destroying evidence.”
Starlink made headlines in recent weeks when the company distributed equipment to help people regain internet access in hurricane- hit ares. To some people, that move was further proof of the conspiracy.
‘The Russians have access to Starlink terminals and therefore the satel- lites. The Russians are Known hackers,”said another November 10 Threads post. Elon Musk and the US gov. sent Starlink terminals to Florida, georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, kentucky, Virginia and west Virginia due to the hurricanes.” Other Threads users summarised the unsubstantiated claims:” People are saying Elon Musk used starkink to steal the Us Election for Donald Trump.”
These post were flagged as part of Mets’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News feed. ( Read more about PolitiFact’s partner ship with mete. which owns facebook . Instagram and threads.)
Election security experts and state and local election officials rebutted the claims, saying the 2024 presidential election was secure and there,s no evidence of starlink-reated fraud.
“Starlink is suspected by conspiracy theorist theorists not because of what it does but because Elon Musk owns it,” Mlike Rothschild, a journakist, author ans conspiracy theory expert, said.
This conspiracy theory criculated on threads a larger wave of clection denial claims from liberals that mimic requblicans false claims about 2020 election fraud.
“Conspriracy theories about lose election being stolen are a natural way to cope with an unexpected outcome,” Rothschild said, adding that it’s im portant to leave conspiracism behind and embrace reality.”
Election intrastructure is secure
Jen Easterly, director of the federal Cybersecuity and Infrastructure Security Agency, reported on November 6 that the agency had “no evidence of any malicious activity that had a material impact on the security or integrity of our election infrastructure.”
Officials from swing stated that received starlink technology after the september and October hurricanes also said starlink technology could not have been used to benefit trump. North carolina,s tabulators and ballot marking divices are never connected to the internet, he added.
“Satellite- based internet devices were not used not used to tabulate or upload vote counts in North carolina, Gannon said.In addition our tabulated results are encrypted from source to destination prevening results being modified in transit. We Have no evidence of any alteration of votes by any one.’
the other six swing states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Navada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have similar election security protocols to ensure voting equipment is never connected to the internet during ballot tabulation.
