Elon Musk has launched a new survey on restoring suspended Twitter accounts , relying on this sloppy system to make major content moderation decisions.
“Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, as long as they haven't broken the law or sent outrageous spam? Yes/No,” he asked.
Five hours later, around two million accounts had already voted, largely in favor of "yes". The new owner and CEO of Twitter has already rehabilitated the account of former US president Donald Trump on Saturday , banned from the social network after the storming of the Capitol in Washington in January 2021, due to the risk of invitations to violence. "People have spoken. Trump will be reinstated," Elon Musk tweeted after 15 million accounts responded to his poll on the Republican multibillionaire's return, with 51.8% in favor of "yes."
The richest man in the world has repeatedly explained that he bought Twitter because he considers the platform the "digital public square" essential for democracy in the world. In his opinion, the moderation of content is too restrictive, but his absolutist vision of freedom of expression raises fears of a wave of abuse (disinformation, incitement to hatred) on the social network.
Meanwhile, many brands have already suspended advertising spending on Twitter, which owes 90% of its revenue to advertising.