As Twitter struggles to deal with hate speech, Musk says he will grant ‘amnesty’ to banned accounts
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Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has taken another step toward dismantling the social media platform's anti-hate speech mechanisms.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has taken another step toward dismantling the social media platform’s anti-hate speech mechanisms.
Musk announced on Thursday that he would grant “amnesty” to all suspended Twitter accounts that have not violated the law or “engaged in egregious spam.” Musk made the decision after a poll on the platform received 3.1 million responses. Approximately 72% of respondents voted in favour of restoring those accounts, while approximately 28% voted against it.
“The populace has spoken. The amnesty period begins next week. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted, quoting a Latin phrase that translates as “the voice of the people is the voice of God.””
Since purchasing Twitter for $44 billion last month, Musk has continued to loosen the platform’s grip on enforcement around posts containing hate speech. Musk reactivated Donald Trump’s account last week after Twitter permanently suspended it following the Capitol insurgency, citing a “risk of further incitement of violence” at the time.
According to NBC News, European Union regulators published a report on Thursday that found Twitter removed fewer hate-speech posts than the previous year.
According to a sample analysed in the EU report, Twitter removed 45.5% of hate speech posts it was notified about, down from 49.8% in 2021 — and those numbers are worse than any other social media platform tested, including TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
Not only has Trump’s account been revived. Other accounts that have been reinstated since Musk’s ownership include Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who has a history of spreading misogynistic and violent comments about women, and Jordan Peterson, a psychologist who had his account was suspended after tweets targeting trans people.
Prior to assuming control of the social media company, Musk chastised it for “failing to adhere to free speech principles.” He previously stated his intention to form a “content moderation council.” However, given the recent employee exodus, Musk may find it difficult to carry out any vision he has for Twitter. Thousands of employees have left the company in recent weeks after Musk issued an ultimatum to his employees, telling them to either work long hours at high intensity or quit.
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