Elon Musk announced he would restore deleted Twitter Inc. accounts. These include previously banned users who expressed hate speech, incited violence or engaged in other actions that violate the company’s rules. This puts the ‘safe online space’ under a question mark.
According to a survey conducted by Musk on Twitter last week, 72% of respondents agreed that a “general amnesty” for suspended Twitter accounts should begin next week, provided they have not broken the law or engaged in severe spam. Musk has accused activist organizations of breaching a contract struck over the council, despite previously stating no reinstatements would be issued until the formation of a content moderation council.
Accounts Reinstated so Far Since Musk Took the Reigns
Former US President Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in January 2021. Under Musk’s rule, his blocked account has been revived. Kanye West returned to Twitter over the weekend too. Twitter banned him after an anti-Semitic tweet. However, there are some controversial people, even Musk will not bring back on the platform. These include the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Mr. Musk has said that Twitter should intervene only to comply with local laws and has described himself as a free-speech absolutist. Mr. Musk has made substantial changes to Twitter since purchasing it for $44 billion last month. He reduced the company’s workforce, charged users for Twitter’s “verified” check mark, and overhauled the platform’s moderation processes.
Before Musk’s takeover, Twitter had a distinct policy of banning users. It would ban users for stalking, racist name-calling, and so on. In other words, for types of harassment when harassers disclose private and ethical information about another user. On Jan 6, 2021, Twitter suspended more than 70,000 accounts due to the Capitol riot. The representatives claimed these accounts shared QAnon conspiracy theories and had much to do with fuelling the riot.
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