2023-08-19 13:09:00
Hardly a week goes by without Elon Musk announcing a new controversial decision for the social network X (ex-Twitter), of which he is the owner. The American billionaire has this time announced that he wants to remove the function that allows a user to block certain accounts, thus preventing them from contacting him, seeing his messages or following him.
“Block will be removed as a feature, except for DMs” said Elon Musk on Friday. Only the « direct messages » (direct messages) that allow private exchanges between X users may therefore continue to be blocked. The billionaire clarified that X would also keep the function « mute »which prevents a user from seeing certain accounts, but which, unlike blocking, does not notify the other account of the action.
The chaotic launch of X, a symbol of Elon Musk’s illusory ambitions for Twitter
Disappearing protection
Designed with a view to protecting users from abusive behavior, this blocking function therefore yields under Elon Musk’s desire to encourage maximum freedom of expression on his social network. Since he bought Twitter in October, renamed X, for 44 billion dollars, he has always justified the changes introduced on the platform in the name of this principle, of which he wants to be the cantor. He thus described himself as an absolutist of freedom of expression, regardless of the excesses that entails.
With this encouragement to all forms of expression, including hateful, and the return of extremist user accounts, abuses are increasing on the social network. According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), hate messages have flourished there once more since Elon Musk took over as its director. A statement that denies X who filed a complaint once morest the CCDH. Some governments have also accused the company of not doing enough to moderate its content.
Twitter ad revenue has been halved, claims Elon Musk
Return of banned accounts
Elon Musk in December reopened the account of former President Donald Trump, who was banned from the platform in early 2021 for his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6 of the same year by a group of his supporters contesting the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
X has also reopened the account of American rapper Kanye West eight months following his suspension, according to American media. Last fall, Elon Musk had decided to suspend the account of the rapper, of his stage name Ye, had posted an image showing a swastika intertwined with a star of David. So it only lasted a while.
This policy is not without consequences for X, which has seen its revenues collapse since its takeover by the American billionaire.
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