>I think there is a market for datacenters in open seas.
The idea of having a isolated sovereign floating platform in the ocean doesn't doesn't really solve the problem of escaping the rules of national governments because it still needs network connections into those countries.
Whether it's underseas fiber optic cables or bouncing signals off of satellites, the datacenter will be rendered useless if nations' citizens get a "This site can’t be reached. [...] ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"
It addition to the physical network topology challenges, the ip address space allocation is controlled by IANA ... which is a government entity.
>Whether it's underseas fiber optic cables or bouncing signals off of satellites, the datacenter will be rendered useless if nations' citizens get a "This site can’t be reached. [...] ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"
Not if Elon succeeds with Starlink:
>>@thesheetztweetz:
How does transmitting into a country without a local downlink work on the regulatory side?
>@elonmusk:
They can shake their fist at the sky [0]
For context, certain countries like India have quite strict regulation of satellite comms, requiring special permission[1] even to use plain consumer tech like Iridium. I presume EU would also try to tightly regulate consumer satellite comms, just like it requires real (government issued) ID to use cell phones - specifically to register locally purchased SIM cards, again for national security reasons.
[1] https://www.osac.gov/Content/Report/9db45731-1eec-477a-a7af-... >There are multiple instances of authorities confiscating undeclared satellite phones from foreign travelers upon arrival in India. The official notice states: "All foreigners travelling to India are hereby informed that it is illegal to use/carry Thuraya or other such satellite phones in India. Custom authorities in India may seize such phones and legal action may be taken against the passenger concerned."
You can't expect Elon Musk to solve your woes regarding your being under the jurisdiction of your government. Elon and his companies, sattelites, etc. are subject to regulation, despite his marketing.
> right up until the UK cut their supply and comms links.
So if a referendum in Switzerland passed tomorrow which changed the law so that the Swiss government had to refuse to process any foreign warrants requesting IP addresses of email users, would France cut their trade and comms links to Switzerland?
you start with a military force that is enough to prevent another sovereign nation from doing something bad like cutting off your comm link, or forcing or freezing your bank account...
A small and geographically distributed nuclear arsenal would also be a good starting point if you wanted to avoid having the large standing army needed for conventional deterrence.
Still doesn’t solve the banking issues, but one problem at a time I suppose.
There is a limit to that. North Korea does a lot of things that no government likes, but so far they are okay. There are a lot of bigger countries that have even more immunity to targeting.
The idea of having a isolated sovereign floating platform in the ocean doesn't doesn't really solve the problem of escaping the rules of national governments because it still needs network connections into those countries.
Whether it's underseas fiber optic cables or bouncing signals off of satellites, the datacenter will be rendered useless if nations' citizens get a "This site can’t be reached. [...] ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"
It addition to the physical network topology challenges, the ip address space allocation is controlled by IANA ... which is a government entity.