'Sorry to be a free speech absolutist': Elon Musk won't block Russian news sources from Starlink


SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday that he would not ban Russian news sources from his Starlink satellite network, Business Insider reported.
"Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint," Musk wrote on Twitter. "Sorry to be a free speech absolutist," he added.
Digital communications have become a major battleground in the war between Russia and Ukraine. BBC, CNN, and Bloomberg News have all curtailed their journalistic operations in Russia after President Vladimir Putin signed a law that made spreading "fake" news about the war punishable by 15 years in prison.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Russian government blocked Facebook after the social network fact checked reports from Russian state media and has also restricted access to BBC and Voice of America, according to Reuters. Google has suspended all ad sales in Russia.
Despite his refusal to prevent Russian propaganda from being carried on his satellites, Musk has also entered the communications fray on the side of Ukraine. Space.com reports that Musk "sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the request of a government official after internet service was disrupted across the country by the Russian invasion."
Musk said Friday that Russian forces were attempting to jam these terminals but that a new software update had resolved the problem.
Also on Friday, Musk tweeted "Hold Strong Ukraine," along with several Ukrainian flag emojis, and expressed his "sympathies to the great people of Russia, who do not want this."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
'The Office' gets a spinoff and the Guinness family gets the 'Peaky Blinders' treatment in September TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include 'The Paper,' 'Task' and 'House of Guinness'
-
Hostile architecture is 'hostile — to everybody'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why are federal judges criticizing SCOTUS?
Today's Big Question Supreme Court issues Trump case rulings 'with little explanation'
-
Google avoids the worst in antitrust ruling
Speed Read A federal judge rejected the government's request to break up Google
-
Supreme Court allows social media age check law
Speed Read The court refused to intervene in a decision that affirmed a Mississippi law requiring social media users to verify their ages
-
What's Linda Yaccarino's legacy? And what's next for X?
Today's Big Question An 'uncertain future' in the age of TikTok
-
Nvidia hits $4 trillion milestone
Speed Read The success of the chipmaker has been buoyed by demand for artificial intelligence
-
X CEO Yaccarino quits after two years
Speed Read Elon Musk hired Linda Yaccarino to run X in 2023
-
Musk chatbot Grok praises Hitler on X
Speed Read Grok made antisemitic comments and referred to itself as 'MechaHitler'
-
Another Starship blast sets back Musk's Mars hopes
Speed Read Nobody was killed in the explosion, which occurred in south Texas
-
Disney, Universal sue AI firm over 'plagiarism'
Speed Read The studios say that Midjourney copied characters from their most famous franchises