Musk Restores Twitter Accounts of Journalists But Concerns Persist
Elon Musk has restored the accounts of journalists who were suspended from Twitter after the company announced its takeover of SolarCity, but there remain concerns about the company’s actions. After all, the CEO had been accused of allowing a slew of fake accounts to gain access to the company’s tweets, and it’s feared that some of the fake accounts may be linked to COVID-19, a security firm that has been involved in a number of recent high-profile hacks.
Kanye West tweets to followers for the first time in two weeks
When Kanye West tweeted about Adolf Hitler a few weeks ago, Twitter took notice. They removed the image. But they also locked him out of Twitter and Instagram.
Twitter owner Elon Musk has been vocal about his views on free speech. He is known as a self-professed “free speech absolutist”. In addition to allowing former US President Donald Trump back on Twitter, he has reinstated a number of accounts previously banned.
Last month, Kanye West was suspended from Twitter for violating its guidelines on hateful conduct. He has since been allowed to resume tweeting. This marks the first time West has posted to Twitter since his ban. The company’s website still shows the same message – “This Tweet has been restricted because of a violation of our policies.”
Ye has a long history of controversy. Earlier this year, he made an anti-Semitic comment during an interview with Alex Jones. He also praised the Nazi dictator in the interview, and referred to Jewish media outlets in the tweet.
Hate-driven tweets quadrupled in the 12 hours after Elon Musk’s takeover
There is no denying that a lot of people have expressed a lot of concern about the increase in misinformation on Twitter since Elon Musk took over. The new CEO, who is a billionaire businessman, has promised to reduce restrictions on the platform. However, this hasn’t stopped the spread of false information.
A recent study by Montclair State University researchers looked at tweets that contained “vulgar and hostile” rhetoric. They found a spike in the amount of hate speech after Musk’s acquisition. The number of racial and gender-based slurs, as well as vulgar and threatening language, increased by a staggering four times in the week after Musk purchased the company.
In the first 12 hours after the purchase, Twitter saw 4,778 hate-filled tweets. Compared to the 3,988 a day before the purchase, this is a colossal rise.
Researchers haven’t yet been able to pinpoint the reason for the spike. They say it could be because of the changes that Musk has made in policy, or it could be because people were celebrating the removal of restrictions.
Removing false information about COVID-19
Many online platforms have taken measures to combat the spread of false information about COVID-19. These include limiting false news and advertising related to the pandemic, improving user media literacy skills and collaborating with health and other stakeholders. However, much more needs to be done to curb the spread of misleading information.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a new coronavirus pandemic was being accompanied by an “infodemic” of misinformation. It has been estimated that over one-third of the global population has been exposed to at least one piece of false COVID-19 information. This is not a new problem, but it has received a lot of attention recently.
In a survey of the public, the most common COVID-19 related misinformation claim is that the virus has been “spread” through communities. This type of claim has been linked to conspiracy theories and is often the source of a large amount of animosity towards ethnic groups.
Removing fake accounts
Elon Musk has a new plan for Twitter. He wants to cut down on toxic and hateful content. He’s also trying to make Twitter more secure.
He has been criticized for making false claims about COVID-19, a policing policy governing misinformation, but he also promised to run the social networking site as a “free speech absolutist”. He has since made several changes to the platform, including the reinstatement of accounts of former US President Donald Trump, QAnon conspiracists and far-right groups. He’s also talked about temporary pauses in advertising campaigns and the creation of a content moderation council.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made the purchase of Twitter for $44 billion in late October. But some critics fear that his purchase will only lead to more trouble with misinformation.
The company has been dealing with fake accounts since Musk took over. These accounts have been used to spread disinformation and scams. It also has been a thorn in the side of advertisers. Half of the top 100 advertisers have stopped spending on the platform.
