Musk says he would reverse Twitter’s ban of Donald Trump

LONDON

Elon Musk saidIf Tesla CEO continues to pursue his plan for buying the social media company, he will reverse Twitter’s ban on former President Donald Trump.

Musk spoke virtually at the Future of the Car summit, hosted by the Financial Times saidTwitter’s Trump ban was a “morally poor decision” and “foolish at the extreme.” He saidTemporary bans of Twitter accounts are rare and should be reserved for accounts that are frauds or automated bots.

Twitter banned Trump’s account for “incitement to violence” in January 2021 following the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol.

Musk stated, “I believe it was a mistake because that alienated a large portion of the country. It did not ultimately lead to Donald Trump not having any voice.” said. “So I think it may end up being worse than having one forum for everyone to debate. The answer is, “I would reverse the ban permanent.”

Musk said that Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, a former CEO, shares his dislike for permanent bans.

Trump had previously saidAccording to Fox News, he stated last month that he didn’t intend to rejoin Twitter, regardless of whether his account was restored. He said that he would rather focus on Truth Social, which has had many problems since its creation earlier in the year.

“I am not going to Twitter. Trump said that he was going to remain on Truth. “I hope Elon will buy Twitter. He’ll make improvements to it, and he’s a good man. But I will be staying on Truth.”

A Trump spokesperson did no immediate respond to a request to comment on Musk’s comments.

Musk and Twitter saidIt is currently biased to the left largely due to its location in San Francisco. This bias is believed to prevent it from building trust in the U.S. and around the world. said.

Musk says Twitter needs to get rid of scammers and bots to make it a better forum for public exchange of ideas. said. He also said that it is important to make sure that accounts are transparently accessed by humans. He said, “It’s way too random.” said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATED. Below is the original story by AP.

LONDON (AP), Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter. He met with the chief of the single market bloc to discuss a new European Union law that would protect social media users against harmful content.

Thierry Breton (EU Internal Market Commissioner) told The Associated Press that he had explained to Musk the online regulations of the bloc to ensure free speech, but also to make sure illegal content is not allowed in the digital space. Musk agreed to this on Tuesday.

Musk was featured in a tweet by Breton late Monday saidThe two men had a “great conversation” and he agreed with the Digital Services Act. It is expected that final approval will be given later in the year. It will force major tech companies such as Twitter, Google and Facebook parent Meta to monitor their platforms more closely for illegal or damaging content. Or face billions in fines.

Musk’s plans for Twitter to be bought by him for US$44billion have raised concerns about his intentions to make changes that prioritize online safety over free speech. He could also clash with Europe’s rules which are expected to come into effect in the near future.

This clip of 65 seconds shows that Musk’s and EU’s views might be closer than we think. Breton states in the video that he discussed the Digital Services Act with Musk at a meeting at Tesla’s Texas headquarters. Musk counters that it’s “exactly in line with my thinking.”

“I agree with everything that you have said.” saidMusk: “Really? said. “I think that we’re very much in the same mind. You know, I believe that anything that my companies could do that could be beneficial for Europe, we want that.”

Musk, a billionaire and self-described freedom of speech absolutist, attempted to buy Twitter. There were concerns that Musk would not be able to moderate content.

Breton explained to AP that he explained to Musk the new law meant “we also need to have more moderators and in the language we operate.” So he understood.

Breton stated that the pair agreed on how important it is to be able to inspect algorithms which determine who social media users are shown. said.

Musk called for transparency of algorithms in the Digital Services Act, which Musk supports.

The topic of President Donald Trump’s ban on Twitter from inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol rebellion, which Musk apparently opposed, was another topic.

Breton saidMusk was informed by him that the EU law included provisions to protect users’ rights, including the ability to appeal bans.