04-26-2022, 04:49 AM
As well as favouring unregulated freedom of speech on Twitter, Musk also wants to limit Twitter to authenticated users. This, he believes, will lessen the extreme rhetoric as users won't be able to hide behind anonymous accounts. He also says he wants to rid Twitter of spam accounts and bots.
Interestingly, his commitment to free speech isn't absolute. He's quite happy to enforce the restrictions on free speech imposed by authorities around the world.
The ball isn't only in Musk's court though. There's a legislative provision in the US which gives internet providers immunity from litigation over posts on their systems. In Congressional hearings, various politicians in the US have threatened to repeal that protection. If that ever happened, Twitter might then be on the hook for allowing defamatory posts or other objectionable posts to remain. To avoid liability, Twitter might have to put in place a system for moderating its content and that would see it back where it is now. Rather than actually repealing that protection, the threat of that repeal may be used to pressure Musk to moderate Twitter.
Interestingly, his commitment to free speech isn't absolute. He's quite happy to enforce the restrictions on free speech imposed by authorities around the world.
The ball isn't only in Musk's court though. There's a legislative provision in the US which gives internet providers immunity from litigation over posts on their systems. In Congressional hearings, various politicians in the US have threatened to repeal that protection. If that ever happened, Twitter might then be on the hook for allowing defamatory posts or other objectionable posts to remain. To avoid liability, Twitter might have to put in place a system for moderating its content and that would see it back where it is now. Rather than actually repealing that protection, the threat of that repeal may be used to pressure Musk to moderate Twitter.