Great News: Elon Musk, Committed to Free Speech, is Buying Twitter

Elon Musk, CEO of electrical car giant Tesla, has bought social media giant Twitter and promises a new era of free speech. ” – Elon Musk clinched a deal to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion cash on Monday in a transaction that will shift control of the social media platform populated by millions of users and global leaders to the world’s richest person. It is a seminal moment for the 16-year-old company, which emerged as one of the world’s most influential public squares and now faces a string of challenges.

Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, has criticized Twitter’s moderation [censorship]. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement. Elon Musk clinched a deal to buy Twitter Inc  for $44 billion cash on Monday in a transaction that will shift control of the social media platform populated by millions of users and global leaders to the world’s richest person.

It is a seminal moment for the 16-year-old company, which emerged as one of the world’s most influential public squares and now faces a string of challenges. Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, has criticized Twitter’s moderation.  … Political activists expect that a Musk regime will mean less moderation and reinstatement of banned individuals including former President  Donald Trump. Conservatives cheered the prospect of fewer controls while some human rights activists voiced fears of a rise in hate speech. (Reuters, April 25, 2022)

Worried thought control types fretted at the prospect of real free speech. “Human rights groups on Monday raised concerns about hate speech on Twitter  and the power that its takeover by Elon Musk would give the billionaire after the self-described “free speech absolutist” clinched a deal to take the social media platform private.

Musk, who is also chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” who has been critical of Twitter’s policies of moderating content on the platform. He has said Twitter needs to become a genuine forum for free speech. In a statement after securing the deal on Monday, Musk described free speech as “the bedrock of a functioning democracy.”

“Amnesty International said it was concerned about any potential decision that Twitter may take after Musk’s takeover to erode enforcement of the policies and mechanisms designed to moderate hate speech online. The last thing we need is a Twitter that willfully turns a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against users, particularly those most disproportionately impacted, including women, non-binary persons, and others,’ Michael Kleinman, director of technology and human rights at Amnesty International USA, said on Monday.” (Reuters, April 25, 2022)