Elon Musk Has Made A Decision On Banned Twitter Users
Elon Musk has said that it could be a couple of weeks before bringing back banned Twitter users.
This article is more than 2 years old
Just when you thought all the Twitter drama had finally quieted, the next round of events started to unfold. The new owner, Elon Musk, is making waves in the news again. And this time, it is over the status of banned Twitter users.
After many months of back and forth between Twitter and Musk, not to mention the lawsuits and court battles, Musk finally purchased the social media company. Once he took over, he promptly fired several executives. This action led many to hope that Musk would quickly take action on banned Twitter users.
And their belief was just wishful thinking. According to CNBC, “Musk has said he doesn’t believe in permanent bans and called it a “mistake” to permanently suspend Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.” So many Twitter users hoped their favorite accounts would finally be allowed back on the platform.
Unfortunately, Musk made it clear this week that he has no intention of doing so. At least not in the short term. He even went so far as to promise his new team “not to reinstate any accounts that violated Twitter’s trust and safety rules before Tuesday’s midterm elections and that the process of re-platforming accounts would be transparent.”
Musk also promised staff that he would retain the existing election integrity standards. So, for now, all banned Twitter users remain in limbo. And they will stay there at least through the elections, if not longer.
Shortly after finalizing his purchase, Musk tweeted an idea to convene a council of “diverse” individuals whose purpose would be content moderation. But he did not provide further details initially. The news of that decision, or rather the vagueness of it, unsettled some advertisers.
Many companies quickly pulled their ads out of concern for what would happen to the platform. One advertising company, Interpublic Group, which owns IPG Media Brands agencies, recommended that their clients pull all ads. They advised waiting at least one week to gauge what direction Musk would take Twitter.
There is no obvious connection between the loss of ad revenue and Musk’s backpedaling on his feelings about banned Twitter users. But this week, he told investors that he will not allow the social media platform to become a “free-for-all-hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” And apparently, he plans to follow through with that statement.
On Wednesday, Musk finally provided some insight into what his vision for a content moderation council will look like. He said it “will include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence.” And he has tapped the NAACP, Color of Change, Anti-Defamation League, and Free Press to discuss “…how Twitter will continue to combat hate & harassment & enforce its election integrity policies.”
According to Musk, he will not reinstate any banned Twitter users until the council convenes and reviews each individual case. Any approved re-platforming will also be a fully transparent process. So those account holders will have to wait for any news about their fates.
