London, Jan 12 : Ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has taken a vow of silence on the Internet following a public backlash, after he declared on his website that he would no longer autograph merchandise three months ago.

Starr had grumpily announced in October that he would no longer sign autographs, and now he has removed himself from the net where he has been updating his fans with short films on his official site.

"Ringo used to enjoy telling fans about his plans but he was pretty shocked by the hostility he faced over the autograph thing," the Daily Express quoted an insider as saying.

"As a result he''s reluctant to appear on the website again," the insider said.

A source added: "Ringo used to use his website to promote his career but the autograph remarks totally backfired."

But even though he insists he will not sign autographs, he seems to have relented a bit, with one US fan saying that he received a signed photograph of the legend in the post. (ANI)