Does access to Starlink improve criminal capability in the Amazon?

Abstract

Starlink began its operations as a satellite-broadband internet services provider in the Brazilian Amazon in 2022; since then, forest loss drastically increased due to the spread of wildfires, despite efforts to curb deforestation. We estimate Starlink leads to a change in profile for environmental crimes, with a substitution from clear-cutting deforestation to the spread of wildfires which, seemingly, are tied to increases in deforestation by successive degradation. We find, however, little evidence for increased policing—particularly so in protected and sensitive areas, like Conservation Units and Indigenous Peoples’ Lands—, suggesting criminals successfully exploit expansion in informational infrastructure to evade lawenforcement agents, despite the apparent slowdown in deforestation.