Do Twitter’s exiles return under Musk?
QAnon loyalists, COVID deniers, neo-Nazis and a former American president: The list of people banned from Twitter is long, but their exile could soon come to an end if Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer for the platform is approved.
Musk, the world’s richest man and the owner of SpaceX and Tesla, calls himself a free speech absolutist who believes in allowing any content that doesn’t run afoul of the law.
While Musk hasn’t offered specifics about how he would run the platform, his musings are prompting celebrations from some of those muzzled by Twitter, even as they alarm internet safety experts who predict a rise in harassment, hate speech and misinformation about topics like vaccines and elections.
“There’s no reason why these folks wouldn’t want to be in this space,” said Jaime Longoria, manager of research and training at the Disinfo Defense League, a non-profit that works with local organizations to combat the effects of misinformation. “Ultimately I think Elon’s premise to save the public square is going to create a square that nobody wants to be in.”
Former President Donald Trump said he won’t return to Twitter even if Musk lifts the ban imposed following the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The platform cited concerns of further incitement to violence.
Following his banishment,
Trump created his own platform, Truth Social, which launched earlier this year.
“I am not going on Twitter. I am going to stay on Truth,” Trump told Fox News this past week. “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.”
Two former top advisers to Trump — Steve Bannon and Roger Stone — were also banned by Twitter after repeatedly violating their rules. Bannon was kicked off for calling for the beheading of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist.
Stone, ultimately suspended for a series of vulgar threats against CNN journalists, tried to create a new
Twitter account Thursday but was quickly re-suspended.
Other Trump allies kicked off Twitter include Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was permanently banned in January for repeatedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccine safety.
Perhaps the trickiest challenge for Musk will be content that, while legal, preaches hate based on things like race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.
White supremacists banned by Twitter include Duke and the Proud Boys organization, along with farright trolls like one who goes by the name Baked Alaska, who promoted anti-Semitic
tropes and faces charges stemming from his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Twitter’s efforts to police hate speech have had mixed results. While some extremist leaders have been vanquished, a quick search of the platform turns up numerous racist slurs and attacks.
Several admitted white supremacists still on Twitter celebrated news of Musk’s
interest in the platform, predicting this ownership will mean looser rules. “We are liberated!” one wrote this week.
“The extremists are celebrating,” tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the AntiDefamation League. “They believe he will usher in a ‘new era’ on Twitter & that they’ll return to the platform. This is dangerous.”