A video is spreading on social media with claims that Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service enabled a livestreamer to show Antarctica’s “legendary ‘ice wall'” — a reference to the debunked flat-Earth conspiracy theory. But the Antarctic continent has been extensively explored and mapped by scientists and private tourist expeditions, and a review of the full video and the streamer’s cruise itinerary shows the footage was actually filmed in Patagonia.<\/p>\n
“Because of Starlink, the first person has live streamed the legendary ‘ice wall’ in Antarctica,” says a February 9, 2026 post on X<\/a> from influencer Mario Nawfal<\/a>, whom AFP has previously fact-checked<\/a> for promoting misinformation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The claim earned a repost from Musk,\u00a0the platform’s owner, who used the video to highlight<\/a> his satellite internet service, which is designed<\/a> to provide connectivity to remote regions.<\/p>\n Similar posts<\/a> appeared across\u00a0X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> — spreading in several languages, including Hindi<\/a>.<\/p>\n Screenshot from X captured on February 13, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Screenshot from X captured on February 13, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The mentions of “Antarctica’s ice wall” reference a long-running conspiracy theory<\/a> that the Earth is flat and encircled by a massive barrier of ice.<\/p>\n Some\u00a0flat-Earth<\/a> proponents also believe debunked<\/a> claims that the “ice wall” was discovered by British naval officer Sir James Clark Ross<\/a> and conceals unknown lands or civilizations.<\/a><\/p>\n But there is no evidence from explorations of the continent on ground or by aircraft to back the theory.\u00a0And at the end of the video showing boats approaching a glacier, the streamer makes clear he is not in Antarctica, saying: “Patagonia is truly the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen.”<\/p>\n A reverse image search<\/a> revealed that the video was snipped from an hours-long broadcast\u00a0that “Ice Poseidon<\/a>,” an American livestreamer and YouTuber<\/a> whose real name is Paul Denino, aired<\/a> February 8 on the platform\u00a0Kick<\/a> (archived here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Denino’s multiple other posts\u00a0on Kick make clear he was traveling aboard a ship with the\u00a0Australis Cruises<\/a> company. One showed him exploring Ushuaia<\/a> — a port city in southern Argentina — which is the first leg on the “Patagonian Explorer” trip that concludes in Punta Arenas, Chile.<\/p>\n Despite the February 8 video’s<\/a> title, “Boat to the end of the world,” the ship’s\u00a0itinerary<\/a> shows the voyage took place in Patagonia, not Antarctica\u00a0(archived here<\/a>).<\/p>\n The original stream also includes footage of a presentation from a tour operator outlining an itinerary that included Magdalena Island<\/a>, which is located in Chilean territory in the Strait of Magellan.<\/p>\n<\/div>