Musk said Saturday that his company won't block access to Russian media sources on its Starlink internet system despite requests from some governments.
Starlink has been told by some governments to block Russian news sources, according to Musk.
The request to Starlink comes as Russian military forces continue to invade Ukraine and many nations, including the United States, impose harsh economic sanctions on Russia in protest. According to Newsweek, some tech companies have tried to block Russian media outlets, but Starlink would not block individual Russian-based news agencies.
He apologized for being a free speech absolutist.
Related: How will Ukraine keep SpaceX's Starlink internet online?
Photos: Russia's invasion of Ukraine as seen in satellite images
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.March 5, 2022
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Musk did not state which countries had asked for Russian media sources to be blocked.
The company sent equipment to the country this week to help restore internet and communications after the invasion of Russia. The terminals arrived on Monday.
The Starlink system is designed to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet access to regions all over the world, with a focus on remote or underserved areas. The company has launched over 2,000 satellites.
Musk has issued statements of support for the Ukrainian people.
Musk wrote on Friday (March 3) that he was holding strong Ukraine.
🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hold Strong Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦March 5, 2022
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Musk said on Friday that he was shifting his focus to cyber security after some Starlink terminals near conflict areas in Ukraine had their signals jammed for hours at a time.
He warned Starlink users in Ukranian to take safety precautions to ensure their use of the satellite internet system does not make them a target for Russian forces.
Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so it's a high chance that you'll be targeted. Please use with caution, Musk wrote on Thursday.
An earlier version of the story had a mistake that changed the meaning of the statement made by Musk. He said he is a free speech absolutist. The story has been changed.
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