Elon Musk did not mince words Monday when asked about the bias of Twitter gatekeepers who allow extreme views from the left while muzzling conservatives.
Musk was asked about a tweet that showed support for an attack on a Wisconsin pro-life group’s office.
“Twitter obv has a strong left wing bias,” Musk replied.
Twitter obv has a strong left wing bias
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Musk then said Twitter should reflect the laws where it operates, not make them.
“Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates. If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed,” he tweeted.
Like I said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates. If the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Musk roiled Twitter with his latest comments, which covered a wide range of topics.
Chocolate milk is insanely good. Just had some.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Waking up to Elon Musk casually offering Mr Beast Twitter if he dies of unusual circumstances… this is life pic.twitter.com/8q1tXjHFLL
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) May 9, 2022
Musk’s comment about Twitter’s liberalism built on multiple concerns expressed before.
I’m worried about de facto bias in “the Twitter algorithm” having a major effect on public discourse.
How do we know what’s really happening?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2022
“I’m worried about de facto bias in ‘the Twitter algorithm’ having a major effect on public discourse. How do we know what’s really happening?” Musk tweeted on March 24, as he was moving forward with his plans to buy Twitter.
Will Elon Musk re-shape Twitter if his purchase goes through?
Jim Tabery, a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, said despite Musk’s comments, no one should expect radical changes if Musk’s bid to buy Twitter succeeds.
“It’s not like by bringing in Elon, there’s suddenly going to be this anything goes, Wild West phenomenon. There are still going to be boundaries,” he said, according to the Deseret News.
“To the extent that he’s a savvy businessman — and all indications are that he is — he’s not going to let it get completely taken over by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and the sort of people promoting the virtues of genocide. If you want this thing to be successful, you still need those guardrails up to monitor what society is willing to tolerate in a space like that,” he said.
Despite that perspective, there has been a call for major brands to boycott the company if Musk goes through with his plan to end content policies, which are supposedly meant to limit hate speech and misinformation.
In a letter sent to major brands, like Coca-Cola, Disney, Kraft and others, more than 20 civil society groups said that marketers should secure commitments from Twitter that the social media platform will keep its policies on civic integrity and hateful conduct on the platform, CNN reported.
