Natural Freedom

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Elon Musk has made an extraordinary bid to 'control' Mars by implementing his own legal system.

The SpaceX and Twitter CEO has said that people who may travel to Mars via one of his ships will have to sign a contract saying they will not "refer to any Earthbound government or legal entity."

Speaking on the Merryn Talks Money podcast, Tim Marshall, author of The Future of Geography said that Musk is already including clauses in Starlink contracts that specify Space X is the ultimate legal authority on Mars

He added that that "Earthbound governments" have no legal authority on the Red Planet.

Marshall said: "By the way, in the Starlink terms and conditions that you sign now in 2024, it says 'in the event in the future that you are using our [Musk’s] kit on Mars and you have any legal issues, you will not refer to any Earthbound government or legal entity.

"'You will only take your dispute up with the legal entity on Mars' which I read to be Elon Musk."

It comes after Kyiv's main military intelligence agency said on Sunday that Russian forces in occupied Ukraine are using Starlink terminals produced by SpaceX for satellite internet.

Marshall said: "Musk and Putin have been playing this cat-and-mouse game for the last couple of years which is a brand new thing in warfare.

"Two sovereign countries at war with a third element in it which is not a state but a private company which is inadvertently assisting one side’s military causing the other side’s military to take what is essentially military action against it.

Rumble has cut off access to its users in France to combat the pressure from the government to remove Russian channels and to simultaneously make a statement about anti-censorship.

The CEO of Rumble, Chris Pavlovski, wrote on X: “The French Government has demanded that Rumble block Russian news sources. Like Elon Musk, I won't move our goal posts for any foreign government. Rumble will turn off France entirely (France isn't material to us) and we will challenge the legality of this demand.”

The Russian accounts he referenced are Russia Today and Sputnik which have been viewed by European authorities as Russian propaganda channels, The European Conservative reports. The channels have been largely banned in the West from sites such as Facebook and their apps have been removed from Apple and Microsoft stores since its invasion in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his desire to keep “gullible” French citizens from viewing content from these channels in an interview with France 2. He stated: “We are using the informational weapon, and Russia was doing it even before [the war] by spreading propaganda on social networks, through propaganda channels that we have cut off on our soil but which still continue to find channels to broadcast.”

Elon Musk similarly took the stand that Pavlovski referenced back in March when he reported: “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.”

Starlink is Musk’s internet infrastructure company which has been providing Ukraine with internet amid the war with Russia.

Another post from Rumble’s company account said the move was to ensure there would be no pressure to go against the company’s mission for a “free and open internet.”

They also stated: “Users with unpopular views are free to access our platform on the same terms as our millions of other users. Accordingly, we have decided to disable access to Rumble for users in France while we challenge the legality of the government’s demands,” adding that “We hope the French government reconsiders its decision so we can restore access soon.”

Rumble, the popular free speech video platform, is blocking access to its services in Brazil, rather than ban specific creators on its platform. This decision follows a contentious legal dispute with Brazilian authorities over content censorship demands.

According to a statement released by Rumble, the Brazilian courts had issued an order demanding the removal of certain creators from the platform. In response, Rumble emphasized its commitment to maintaining a free and open internet, stating that it refuses to alter its content policies or discriminate against users based on their views, regardless of popularity.

“Users with unpopular views are free to access our platform on the same terms as our millions of other users,” the statement from Rumble asserted. The company highlighted its dedication to not “move the goalposts” on its established content policies, standing firm against external pressures to censor creators.

“Rumble is the only company at our scale that holds the line for free speech and American values,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski posted on X. “It’s my wish, that one day, big tech joins us in this fight and responds like we do. That’s the day everyone wins. I will continue to lead by example until that day arrives.”

As a result of this impasse, Rumble has chosen to disable access to its platform for users in Brazil. Similar to the situation with France, this measure is part of the company’s strategy to legally challenge the demands of the Brazilian courts. While Rumble expressed disappointment over the impact this decision has on Brazilian users, who now lose access to a diverse array of content unless they use a VPN to access the platform, the company remains resolute in its stance.

The platform’s officials hope for a reconsideration of the court’s decisions, aiming to restore service in Brazil soon.