Tw*tter Censorsh*p
By: Margaret Chen
Right from his initial announcement that he intended to do so, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter remains controversial. On October 28, 2022, Musk secured the $44 billion deal that allowed him ownership of the giant social media platform. He has since made a multitude publicly questioned decisions—including initiating mass layoffs and taking Twitter private.
His latest move regards censorship protocols. When expressing his interest in purchasing Twitter in April, Musk cited his current grievances against the social media’s free speech policies, which he believed were too restrictive. However, his claims are not irrational, as the platform has been a prominent the focal point of censorship debates in the past. In 2020, email evidence was unearthed that accused Hunter Biden, the son of then-vice president Joe Biden, of using his father’s position to garner favors for the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Especially in the heat of the tense 2020 election, this story spread rapidly, and was covered in an article by the New York Post. We do not know for sure whether the information is accurate or whether it was an effort to undermine Biden’s campaign, but its significance was undeniable, as the article caused the internet to explode with extreme hostility from pro-Biden parties. In response, Twitter prohibited the article from being shared via link both publicly and privately, in addition to temporarily banning the New York Post’s account, because it violated Twitter’s “Hacked Materials Policy”, and the contents could prove “potentially harmful.” This raised concerns about the censorship guidelines that caused Twitter to restrict the news article, especially since it seemed bias towards radical pro-Biden supporters.
More recently, Elon Musk has taken on the issue of censorship, starting with the reinstatement of banned accounts, such as the infamous Donald Trump’s. Previously, his Twitter had proved an instrumental source in rallying his supporters, allowing him to broadcast his opinions, updates, and insults to his 88.8 million followers. It was pinpointed to be one of the motivations for the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th of that year. The violent riot, combined with his history of promoting false information and verbal attacks led to his indefinite ban from the platform soon after. Musk’s decision to overturn this controversial censorship restriction foreshadows the possible future for free speech on Twitter. Still, the extent of these looser guidelines remains up in the air, as the EU digital chief warned Musk earlier this week that Twitter must comply with the EU’s moderation rules. Furthermore, the US government has also implied a possible investigation of the platform.
Since Twitter is a private cooperation, it essentially has a monopoly on the content that is shared on its platform. Although it is not completely limitless because the public interest must be considered, the company still has the power over decisions regarding censorship. Historical precedent has established that Twitter has not been afraid of exercising this advantage, but this could change under Elon Musk direction. There are consequences to both approaches, which will eventually force Twitter to choose their priority regarding the purpose of their platform. However, until an official policy is established, the balance between free speech and protecting users from abuse, harassment, and misinformation remains a prominent question in Twitter censorship.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/tech/twitter-eu-compliance-warning/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musk-ted-talk-twitter-interview-conference-rcna24460