Elon Musk has decided to break Twitter’s content moderation, from mass reinstating suspended accounts to ending the fight against Covid misinformation.
“As of November 23, 2022, Twitter no longer has a policy on misleading information about Covid-19,” according to a very rare and very brief Twitter press release that was released by the American press only on Tuesday, November 29.
Like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, during the pandemic, Twitter had special rules in place to combat medical misinformation. The platform specifically decided to report and delete posts containing misinformation about Covid vaccines and then block the accounts in question after five warnings.
But Elon Musk, owner and head of the platform for a month, advocates an absolute vision for freedom of expression. And he has never made a secret of his opinion about the health restrictions imposed during the pandemic, especially when they meant the temporary closure of his Tesla plant in California.
62,000 blocked accounts restored
Upon his arrival at the head of Twitter and between two provocations, the multibillionaire tried to calm NGOs and advertisers who feared an outbreak of toxic content (hate speech, disinformation, etc.). He reiterated that the platform’s rules have not changed and that suspended accounts will not be reinstated until a content moderation committee is established. Waste of time: many brands fled, and Elon Musk, feeling betrayed, took action. He launched polls on his profile, reflecting, according to him, the “voice of the people”, and reset the profile of former President Donald Trump (suspended in January 2021 for inciting violence).
The seething leader also asked engineers who are still working to recover some 62,000 accounts that have been banned for repeated violations, according to Platformer’s specialist newsletter.