Human rights groups on Monday raised concerns about hate speech in Twitter and the power that its takeover by Elon Musk would give the billionaire, after the self-described “free speech absolutist” struck a deal to buy the social network.
Muskwho is also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc., has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has criticized Twitter’s content moderation policies.
You said that the social network has to become a real forum for freedom of expression. In a statement after reaching the deal on Monday, Musk described freedom of expression as “the foundation of a functioning democracy.”
Twitter is not just another company, they pointed out human rights defenders.
“Regardless of who owns Twitter, the company has human rights responsibilities to respect the rights of people around the world who depend on the platform,” Deborah Brown, researcher and advocate, told Reuters in an email. of digital rights in Human Rights Watch.
“Changes to its policies, features and algorithms, big and small, can have disproportionate and sometimes devastating impacts, including offline violence,” it added. “Freedom of expression is not an absolute right, so Twitter should invest in efforts to keep its most vulnerable users safe on the platform.”
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment about concerns raised by the groups.
“Although Elon Musk is a member of the ACLU and one of our most significant supporters, it is very dangerous to have so much power in the hands of a single individual,” Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, told Reuters. American Civil Liberties Unionafter the announcement of the agreement.
International Amnesty He said he was concerned about any possible decision Twitter might take following the Musk acquisition to erode enforcement of policies and mechanisms designed to moderate hate speech online.
“The last thing we need is a Twitter willingly turning a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against users, particularly those most disproportionately affected, such as women, non-binary people and others,” Michael Kleinman, Amnesty International USA’s director of technology and human rights, said on Monday.
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