Regarding.
trigger happy
X (formerly Twitter) has just released its first transparency report under new ownership. This includes internal numbers on how it enforces its content moderation policies. And some data suggests that its ruler, Elon Musk, is not the “free speech absolutist” he claims to be.
Musk took over Twitter in late 2022. Since then, suspensions of non-spam accounts have actually increased. In the first six months of this year, the platform suspended 5.3 million users. This is more than triple the 1.6 million people suspended in the first half of 2022, Fortune reported.
It’s also surprising that these numbers are rising despite the fact that Twitter’s user base appears to be declining. This could signal a more significant escalation in crackdowns on users who violate the site’s rules. It could also be a sign of an increase in hate speech on the platform, which many critics blame on Musk, who often fuels far-right rhetoric. And the conspiracy theory itself.
Needless to say, none of this proves the laissez-faire, censorship-free paradise that Musk has so often promised.
creepy statistics
Perhaps most inconsistent with this vision is how often Twitter, under Musk’s control, cooperates with government requests.
As the Washington Post noted, the site complied with 71 percent of the thousands of legal requests it received to remove posts on its platform in the first half of this year. The previous high was just over 50% in 2021, and most years before Musk were even lower.
The majority were from a handful of countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Turkey, which has personal ties to President Musk.
But the most high-profile case occurred in Brazil, where a high court judge threatened to block Twitter at its borders unless the company banned several accounts deemed to be spreading misinformation. This is in response to what happened. Mr. Musk initially resisted, sticking to his free speech values, but eventually succumbed to the demands.
fool’s rules
Big social media sites require some moderation, but Musk’s track record shows he doesn’t apply his rules equally.
In addition to personally restoring the accounts of people he liked, many of them prominent right-wingers, including Donald Trump, he also restored the accounts of journalists who had been vocal critics of him and his allies. The activity was prohibited.
Just this week, the platform suspended the account of a journalist who shared a link to hacked documents about President Trump’s vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance. Musk is a supporter of Trump and is reportedly contributing to Trump’s campaign.
It’s no surprise by now that Musk has issued some serious warnings about the concept of “free speech,” but the dramatic increase in suspensions is surprising.
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