Elon Musk, the rich guy so hopelessly addicted to Twitter he bought it for $44 billion USD, says it will be “at least a few more weeks” before people banned from the platform will be allowed to return.
In a tweet (it’s always a tweet), Musk explained that he wants a “clear process” for allowing people previously banned from Twitter to return to the site. Creating that process will take a “few more weeks.”
Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Musk’s desire to bring back banned users hasn’t exactly been a secret. Musk previously called Twitter’s ban of insurrectionist and former U.S. President Donald Trump a “mistake,” and made it clear he would lift the ban after gaining control of Twitter.
Moreover, Musk said last week that there wouldn’t be any “major content decisions or account reinstatements” until Twitter had formed a content moderation council with “widely diverse viewpoints.” Following his tweet about creating a clear process for re-platforming banned users, Musk noted that the content moderation council will “include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence.”
Finally, Musk tweeted that he had talked with leaders from organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, Free Press and Color of Change, about how Twitter will “continue to combat hate & harassment & enforce its election integrity policies.” Free Press co-CEO Jessica J. Gonzalez told CNBC in a statement that the conversation with Musk was “productive” and noted the new Twitter CEO promised the re-platforming process would be transparent. Moreover, Gonzalez said Musk planned not to reinstate accounts that violated Twitter’s trust and safety rules before the U.S. midterm elections on November 8th.
Admittedly, this appears to be somewhat good news for those worried about how Twitter would change under Musk. In the early hours of Musk’s Twitter takeover, the site saw an increase in hate speech and harassment from users emboldened by Musk’s free speech views. Meanwhile, Musk worked to assuage the concerns of advertisers, writing that Twitter wouldn’t turn into a “free-for-all-hellscape.”
For the latest on all the Musk x Twitter news, check out our coverage here.
