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- Some governments have ordered SpaceX Starlink to block Russian news sources from Starlink.
- On Saturday, Elon Musk tweeted that the company would not do this “unless at gunpoint.”
- Musk has previously shared concerns about attacks on Starlink systems in Ukraine.
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SpaceX Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday. that some governments have ordered Starlink to block Russian news sources.
Musk tweeted: “Some governments (not Ukraine) have ordered Starlink to block Russian news sources.”
“We will not do this unless we are at gunpoint,” he added. “Excuse me for being an absolutist of free speech.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
SpaceX did not immediately respond to an Insider request for comment.
On Friday, the CEO warned that the Starlink systems could be “targeted” at Ukraine and advised people to use them with caution as the system “is the only non-Russian communications system still operating in parts of Ukraine,” Insider reported.
Musk said in another tweetminutes before announcing it would not block Russian news outlets: “SpaceX refocused on cyber defense and signal interference.”
He added that this “will cause slight delays in Starship and Starlink V2.”
On Feb. 27, Musk said SpaceX had activated its Starlink internet service in Ukraine following a request from Mikhail Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, to provide more Starlink stations as the Russian invasion disrupts the country’s internet services.
Insider’s Keith Duffy recently reported that a Starlink customer in Ukraine said he had his satellite internet dish ready for emergency use in case regular broadband services were cut off during a Russian invasion.
In early February, SpaceX launched a faster version of its satellite internet service called Starlink Premium. It said that the version was designed to perform better in extreme weather conditions.