Here's what Elon Musk has to say on Amazon tribe getting addicted to porn

Elon Musk has addressed the controversy sparked by claims that a remote Amazon tribe developed a pornography addiction following the introduction of Starlink internet.

The controversy began with a New York Times article by journalist Jack Nicas, which explored the impact of Starlink’s arrival on the 2,000-member Marubo tribe in Brazil. The article included concerns from a tribal leader about minors sharing pornographic content in private chat groups.

Subsequently, several news outlets sensationalised the story, suggesting that the tribe had become addicted to pornography due to internet access.

In response, the publication issued a clarification on June 11, stating, “The Marubo people are not addicted to pornography. There was no hint of this in the forest, and there was no suggestion of it in The New York Times’s article.” 

 

The clarification also highlighted that the original article only mentioned a leader’s concern about minors sharing inappropriate content in WhatsApp groups, emphasising that Marubo culture disapproves of public displays of affection.

 

Indigenous people of a Brazilian tribe have fallen into porn addiction after being connected to the Internet

The Marubo tribe of Brazil has lived isolated for hundreds of years in the jungle along the Itui River, a tributary of the Amazon river. Last fall, 20 satellite systems… pic.twitter.com/qzbFlfS2xC

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 8, 2024

What did Elon Musk say?
 

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, responded after The New York Times published its clarification. An X (formerly Twitter) user shared a screenshot of the update, criticising the publication for its misleading portrayal of Starlink’s impact.

“It was disrespectful & unkind of The New York Times to say that about the tribe,” Musk wrote on X.

 

It was disrespectful & unkind of The New York Times to say that about the tribe https://t.co/f9niaekPtD

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 12, 2024

This incident is not the first time Musk has publicly criticised the New York Times. Last year, he accused the publication of hypocrisy for refusing to pay for Twitter Blue, describing its content as ‘unreadable’.

“The real tragedy of The New York Times is that their propaganda isn’t even interesting. Also, their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhoea. It’s unreadable,” he wrote.