ELON Musk describes himself as a “free-speech absolutist”, leaving rights groups fearful that Twitter will provide a forum for hate speech and disinformation under his ownership.

The richest man in the world has signalled, following his US$44 billion (RM191 billion) takeover, that he intends to reform what he sees as over-zealous policing of tweets.

Civil activists are worried that means Musk, 50, will allow banned extremists back to the platform.

“The last thing we need is a Twitter that wilfully turns a blind eye to abusive and violent speech against users, particularly those most disproportionately impacted, such as women, non-binary persons and others,” said Amnesty International USA technology and human rights director Michael Kleinman in a statement.

Like other social media networks, Twitter has struggled against disinformation, bullying and hate-fuelled content in recent years.

It has banned numerous users for promoting violence, attacking or threatening people based on race, religion, gender identity or disability, among other forms of discrimination.

High-profile people removed from the platform include former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and ex-president Donald Trump.

Twitter has cracked down on lies about Covid-19 and removed thousands of accounts linked to the far-right QAnon movement, whose followers believe Trump is waging a secret war against a global liberal cult of Satan-worshipping paedophiles.

Many conspiracy theorists joined newer, far-right-friendly platforms such as Gab and Parler.

Moderation

In Brussels, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) echoed that call, expressing concern that the billionaire will damage media freedoms “by exacerbating opportunities to attack journalists” on the site.

IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger said Twitter, which has 400 million users, “must be duly moderated, while respecting freedom of speech”.

Experts said once at the helm, Musk may find that staying true to his free speech instincts is not so simple.

In the European Union for example, Twitter will have to comply with the new Digital Services Act, a major piece of EU legislation ensuring tougher consequences when platforms host banned content.

“He is going to have to have some form of content moderation policy. That is going to be challenging for Musk,” said New York University politics and media expert Joshua Tucker.

The entrepreneur will also be wary about making too many changes that contribute to users flocking away from the site, said analysts.

“If it becomes a place of hateful content and chases away journalists, then it loses its value,” said Karen North, professor of digital social media at the Annenberg journalism school in California.

Musk has not specified exactly what restrictions he intends to roll back. But he yesterday hinted in a tweet that change is coming.

“The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” he said. – AFP, April 27, 2022.