‘Sorry To Be A Free Speech Absolutist’: Elon Musk On Not Blocking Russian News On Starlink

SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Saturday said Starlink, the satellite internet division of his rocket company, will not block Russian news sources.

New Delhi: SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Saturday said Starlink, the satellite internet division of his rocket company, will not block Russian news sources. Musk, in a tweet, said he won’t do so “unless at gunpoint” and called himself a “free speech absolutist”.

“Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint. Sorry to be a free speech absolutist,” Elon Musk tweeted.

Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint.

Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022

Meanwhile, tech giants including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, YouTube, Meta and several other tech platforms have already banned RT and Sputnik in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Elon Musk also wrote that “SpaceX reprioritised to cyber defense and overcoming signal jamming”. “Will cause slight delays in Starship and Starlink V2,” Musk said.

On Friday, Musk warned Ukrainians to use the Starlink satellite system with caution as his commercial Internet network can be targeted by Russians and hamper the entire system at work. As a non-Russian communications system, the Starlink satellite internet service has a “high” probability of being targeted, Musk had said.