Elon Musk says Twitter will roll back Donald Trump ban

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LONDON (AP) — elon musk He said he would undo Twitter’s permanent ban on former President Donald Trump. tesla The CEO has finalized the deal to buy the social media company for $44 billion.

MuskSpeaking virtually at the Future of the Automobile summit hosted by the Financial Times, Twitter said the Trump ban was a “morally bad decision” and “extremely stupid”. He said it should be rare for Twitter accounts to be permanently banned and reserved for accounts that are scams or automated bots.

“I think it was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country and it didn’t result in Donald Trump having a say in the end.” Musk I said. “I think this could be worse than having one forum where everyone can discuss it, frankly. I think the answer is I’m going to reverse the permanent ban.”

Musk He has repeatedly criticized Twitter’s content moderation decisions, including the Trump ban, but mostly refrained from saying what he would do about Trump’s account until he was pressed for more details by Financial Times automotive reporter Peter Campbell on Tuesday. Twitter banned Trump’s account in January 2021 for “inciting violence” following the January 6 riot in the US Capitol.

Trump previously said he has no intention of rejoining Twitter even if his account is reinstated, saying last month that he will instead focus on his own platform, Truth Social, which has been grappling with problems since its launch earlier this year.

“I’m not going to get on Twitter. I’ll stay in Truth,” Trump told the network. “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he makes improvements to Twitter and he’s a good guy but I’m going to stay in Truth.”

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment in response. Musk‘ words.

While Trump was president, his Twitter personality often functioned abruptly as a mix of policy announcements; complaints about the media; humiliation of women, minorities and their perceived enemies; and exclamation points, all caps, and “Sad!” praise its supporters full of one-word statements like

He fired multiple officials on Twitter, and his posts, like his speeches at rallies, were a flood of misinformation.

In announcing Trump’s ban, Twitter said that Trump’s tweets, when read in the context of the Capitol riot, were meant to glorify violence, and that he plans to circulate online for future gun protests around the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Musk‘s words raise questions about whether those who have been banned other than Trump can also return. The long list of people banned from Twitter includes QAnon loyalists, COVID deniers, neo-Nazis, and former reality star Tila Tequila, who was suspended for hate speech.

Other Trump allies who launched Twitter include Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who were permanently banned in January for repeatedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccine safety.

White supremacist David Duke and the often violent Proud Boys organization have been banned, along with far-right trolls who support anti-Semitic tropes called Baked Alaska and face charges stemming from their involvement in the January 6 attack. .

Conspiracy theorists were also eliminated. David Icke was kicked off the platform two years ago for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, including allegations that Jews and 5G towers were behind the pandemic. Icke is a leading proponent of the belief that a lizard human race has taken over the Earth by pretending to be human leaders.

Infowars creator Alex Jones was permanently banned in 2018 for abusive behavior. Last year, Jones lost a libel lawsuit filed by the parents of children shot and killed at school in 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, over Jones’ repeated allegations that the shooting was fake.

twitter, Musk On Tuesday, he said he currently has a strong left-leaning bias, largely because he’s based in San Francisco. This alleged bias prevents the United States from building trust in the rest of the world and in the world. he is He said: “It’s very random and I think Twitter needs to be much more evenly distributed.” Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk‘s comments.

Earlier, Musk I said he is It subsequently supported a new European Union law aimed at protecting social media users from harmful content. he is met with the block’s single market chief.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told the Associated Press on Tuesday: Musk how the blog’s online regulations aim to protect freedom of expression while ensuring that everything illegal is “prohibited in the digital space” Musk “fully accepted.”

In a video that Breton tweeted late Monday, Musk said the two had a “great discussion” and he is It agrees with the Digital Services Act, which is expected to receive final approval later this year. It will enable big tech companies like Twitter, Google and Facebook parent company Meta to more tightly monitor their platforms for illegal or harmful content such as hate speech and disinformation, or face billions in fines.

Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC.



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