Twitter bought by Musk? : “The blue bird” panics

The announcement of a possible takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk has sown panic among users of the platform. The boss of Tesla promises to make it a bastion of freedom of expression, without any limit. For many human rights defenders and elected Democrats, Twitter, like Facebook or YouTube, should on the contrary better curb disinformation, conspiracy theories, intolerance and hatred.

Elon Musk’s surprise offer to buy Twitter has sparked a wave of angst on the platform, with many users and observers expressing concern that the ultra-liberal entrepreneur will take control of “the ‘blue Bird”. “If Elon Musk gets Twitter back, I’m leaving the network” has become the new “If Trump wins, I’m going to Canada,” summarized Carol Roth, entrepreneur and author of an essay on SMEs.

The boss of Tesla, and the richest man in the world, wants to acquire Twitter to make it, according to him, a bastion of freedom of expression. He believes that content moderation goes too far, and that fewer limits should be placed on users, in the name of democracy. “Twitter has become, in fact, the public square. So it’s really important that people have the feeling and the ability to speak freely within the limits of the law,” Musk argued at a conference on Thursday.

He did not comment on the emblematic case of former US President Donald Trump, who was banned from mainstream platforms in January 2021 for inciting his followers to violence, after several warnings, withdrawn messages and the invasion of the Capitol which caused several deaths.

“I think we should just be very reluctant to remove things and very careful with permanent bans. They should rather be temporary”, developed the businessman.

The idea makes human rights defenders shudder

This approach enchants the American conservative right and even beyond. Musk’s interest in Twitter is “the best free speech news in years,” enthused Nigel Farage, one of Britain’s Brexit campaign leaders. But for many human rights defenders and elected Democrats, Twitter, like Facebook or YouTube, should on the contrary better curb misinformation, conspiracy theories, intolerance and hatred.

“Musk himself has used Twitter and various platforms to attack and silence other people. He spread misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines. He used Twitter to manipulate the markets and increase his already considerable fortune,” reacted Jessica Gonzalez, co-director of the NGO Free Press, in a press release. “Social media users should not be subjected to the whims of bombastic billionaires who are detached from reality,” she added.

This desire to less moderate exchanges, already often not very civil, also worries employees of the Californian group, according to several press articles. Especially since Tesla is not only known for its success and its profits: the factory in Fremont, in Silicon Valley, is the subject of complaints for cases of harassment and for systemic racial discrimination.

Right to digital freedom
“Millions of people, including journalists, artists and activists depend on this platform to do their work,” said Evan Greer, director of the NGO Fight for the future, which defends digital rights, including freedom of speech. ‘expression.

“The fact that we’re worried about someone like Elon Musk buying it shows we have a fundamental problem: too few companies with too much power.” The financial operation indeed raises questions about the power accumulated by the big tech companies. Many American elected officials on both sides have been calling for years to better regulate the platforms, in particular to ensure more competition, without agreeing on the solutions.

“A single person who owns the whole box is perfect for freeing people from the centralized state and capitalist control,” quipped media specialist Parker Molloy. “It’s the opposite that should be done. Twitter should be decentralized”, counters Fred Wilson, an investor. Elon Musk wants to make the platform a private company, which would no longer be listed on the stock exchange, and would escape even more from any external control. The contradiction between his stated intentions and his method has not escaped some experts.

Sami Nemli with Agency / Les Inspirations ECO