Human rights groups on Monday raised concerns about hate speech on Twitter and the power that Elon Musk’s takeover will bring to the billionaire after the self-described “tyrant of speech” was achieved. agreement to use this social media platform.
Musk, who is also the chief executive officer of the electric car maker Tesladescribed himself as a free speech autocrat who criticized ‘s Twitter content moderation policy on the platform. He says Twitter needs to become a real forum for free speech. In a statement after securing the deal on Monday, Musk described free speech as “the cornerstone of a working democracy.”
Twitter is not just another company, human rights advocates note. “Regardless of who owns Twitter, a responsible human rights company respects the rights of people around the world who rely on this platform. Changes to its policies, features, and algorithms, large and small, , which can have disproportionate and sometimes devastating effects, including offline violence,” Deborah Brown, a digital rights researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. in an email.
“Freedom of expression is not an absolute right, which is why Twitter needs to invest in efforts to keep its most vulnerable users safe on the platform,” she added. .
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the groups’ concerns.
“While Elon Musk is a ACLU Anthony Romero, executive director at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Reuters after the deal was announced there would be a lot of risk.
Amnesty International said it was concerned about any potential decisions Twitter could make after Musk’s takeover to erode enforcement of policies and mechanisms designed to control hate speech online.
“The last thing we need is a Twitter that deliberately turns a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against its users, especially those hardest hit, including women, who are non-citizens.” binary and others,” Michael Kleinman, director of technology and human rights at Amnesty International USA, said Monday.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
