In Iran, getting caught using a Starlink internet device can be a death sentence.
But that threat has not stopped thousands of Iranians from risking their lives to connect to Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite service to bypass one of the most severe communication blackouts the country has seen.
Authorities shut down internet and phone access in Iran for more than a week, as deadly anti-regime protests gripped the country.
It's a tactic Human Rights Watch said helped the regime "conceal widespread atrocities".
A hidden network of Starlink terminals emerged as a crucial lifeline, allowing Iranians to show the outside world what was happening on the ground.
Videos of troops firing at protesters, bodies lying in the streets and grieving families searching for loved ones were shown to the world, when traditional communications were cut off.
For some families, it was how they discovered their relatives were among the thousands killed in the massacre of protesters.
But how does the technology work?
There are about 9,000 satellites orbiting the Earth that beam internet for Starlink terminals to connect to, according to executive director Ahmad Ahmadian from Holistic Resilience, a nonprofit that helps Iranians get around internet censorship.
"If you are using circumvention tools like VPNs and encrypted messaging, you still rely on government infrastructure, with Starlink you bypass the firewall entirely," he said.
"What makes it different is you can use it almost anywhere on Earth, whether you are on the ocean, the North Pole or the middle of nowhere — if you have a clear view of the sky you can connect to Starlink and have fast speed internet."
Starlink has been used in Australia during bushfires and floods and in rural and remote areas with limited connectivity.
In December 2024, Tehran's Chamber of E-Commerce estimated there were about 100,000 Starlink users in Iran, a country of roughly 90 million people. Human rights organisation Witness estimates the number of active terminals was likely to be at least 50,000.
The technology is illegal in Iran. Devices are smuggled into the country and often hidden on rooftops, sometimes disguised as solar panels.
"Iran has always been a digital prison," said Mr Ahmadian, who fled Iran in 2012 after serving time in prison for student activism.
"They [the regime] have been moving toward making Iran another North Korea.
"This is an extraordinary risk that people are taking — sharing their Starlink device with other people, because the government has threatened to charge those who are using it with espionage, which can lead to executions."
But as the protests gained momentum inside Iran it wasn't long before Starlink itself came under attack.
Jammers 'most likely' from Russia
Iranian authorities deployed military-grade technology designed to jam the GPS signals Starlink relies on.
"It's hard for the regime to physically find your Starlink dish," Smithsonian Observatory astronomer Johnathan McDowell told the ABC.
"So what they can do instead is jam the system by setting up powerful radio transmitters that blast noise at the same frequency Starlink uses, drowning out the signal."
Some human rights groups believe Iran has received the GPS jamming technology from Russia, using it from vans in urban areas.
Mr Ahmadian, who has helped smuggle the terminals into Iran, said the equipment used by the regime was similar to that deployed on the front line in Ukraine.
"Most likely they have obtained this technology from Russia. The Iranian government have had a close relationship with Russia especially on the Ukraine war, where they have sent their own kamikaze drones for Russia to use," Mr Ahmadian said.
"From the very beginning of the war, we saw Russia go after Starlink devices in Ukraine and try to jam the service, making it ineffective."
Last week, Space X owner Elon Musk said all Starlink services in Iran would be free to use.
Starlink 'almost a monopoly'
Iran has a long history of internet blackouts and operates one of the world's most sophisticated censorship systems outside China.
The government has built its own state-run internet known as the National Information Network, which is largely cut off from the rest of the world.
It allows authorities to tightly control content, while still providing services like banking, shopping and transport.
While many Iranians use VPNs to access platforms like Instagram, even those tools failed during the most recent blackout.
Some experts warn relying on internet infrastructure controlled by a single private company carries risks.
"Governments and militaries around the world are starting to realise they need this technology, but they need to be in control of it, not Elon Musk, who has threatened to switch it off when he has gotten unhappy with Ukraine," Mr McDowell said.
"That's led to people being concerned that if this is a vital communication infrastructure, it shouldn't be in the hands of one company."
Rival satellite networks are emerging, but for now Space X's dominance is overwhelming.
"In years to come this will be less of an issue, but right now Space X has such a huge lead over other companies that it is almost a monopoly."
