Elon Musk has taken control of Twitter. The billionaire is committed to more freedom of expression and wants to make adjustments to the network. But even under Musk, Twitter cannot offer complete freedom.
Musk believes that Twitter in its current form does not fulfill its social purpose of being a platform for free speech. It is not yet clear what exactly he wants to change.
Recently, Twitter has introduced much stricter rules. For example, users are prohibited from posting about child abuse, coordinated government propaganda is prohibited, and tweets that may contain false information are tagged as such.
“Musk will also have to admit that not everything is allowed,” says ICT lawyer and professor Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius. “Otherwise, Twitter is full of spam and pornography. That cannot be the intention, because then Twitter will become unusable and ordinary users will leave it.”
Freedom of expression reigns in the US
Zuiderveen Borgesius explains that freedom of expression is experienced differently in the United States than in Europe. “It exists in the United States in the First Amendment to the Constitution and is the kind of prankster that trumps almost all other interests,” he says. “We also think freedom of expression is important in Europe, but here it is on a par with other fundamental rights such as the right to privacy. It is assessed separately for each priority case.”
This does not mean that everything is allowed in the United States. “There are always exceptions,” says Michael Klos, researcher online freedom of expression at Leiden University. “For example, you shouldn’t encourage violence if people are more likely to respond to that call.”
Because Twitter is an international platform, it must also comply with stricter European regulations. Currently, Twitter can already be forced to take messages offline if a judge or police can prove that something is illegal online.
Insult is no stranger to Musk
Musk, who is the top Twitter user with 83 million followers, has also insulted people on his platform in the past. That’s what he called British diver Vernon Unsworth.”pedo manI
The diver helped rescue a group of children from a cave in Thailand in late 2018. Musk offered help at the time, but his proposed mini-sub was called a “promotional stunt” by Unsworth, believing it would have no effect.
After the successful recovery, Musk called him “pedo” on Twitter. The billionaire later apologized. He said he wanted to insult Unsworth and did not accuse him of pedophilia.
After announcing the acquisition, Musk wrote on Twitter that he hopes even his biggest critics will remain active on the platform. “Because that’s what freedom of speech means.”
youthfulness
“There is some form of moderation on all online platforms,” says Klos. “In a civilization we agree rules to discuss. If these rules disappear, I can imagine Twitter becoming an uninhabitable place for minority groups, for example.”
“He may not be bothered by hate messages, but others may,” adds Zuiderveen Borgesius. The professor says the platform might not get any funnier if more is allowed. “Elon Musk can also be quite childish.”
Zuiderveen Borgesius cites a case in which an investor who posted a negative blog post about an incident at the car company Musk personally canceled an order with Tesla. “If such a person runs a platform alone or with a few contradictions, that can become a problem.”
Source: NU
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
