In October 2022, after billionaire Elon Musk acquired Twitter, now rebranded as X, and pledged to reinstate free speech, the platform has made several strides towards this goal while also implementing milder forms of content control.
Musk’s X has lifted bans on many accounts and disclosed “The Twitter Files,” shedding light on pre-takeover censorship. Nonetheless, the platform has introduced a “freedom of speech, not reach” enforcement policy, allowing users to share their thoughts while suppressing content that violates platform rules to minimize its visibility to others.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino emphasized in a blog post on Thursday, “X is now a space where everyone can express themselves freely, as long as they remain within the boundaries of the law. We believe that open and respectful discourse is the most effective way for humanity to thrive.”
Musk appointed Yaccarino as CEO in June, responding to a decline in advertiser confidence due to the increased freedom on the platform. Yaccarino has endorsed the platform’s freedom while reassuring advertisers that the vast majority of content on X is safe.
“In July, Yaccarino posted, “Over 99% of the content seen by users and advertisers on Twitter is healthy,” highlighting the expansion of the “freedom of speech, not reach” policy.
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Currently, there are somewhat vague rules on the platform, including the prohibition of “attacking other individuals” based on their identity.
Yaccarino mentioned in the blog post, “Our trust and safety team is diligently working to combat bad actors and consistently enforce our rules in areas such as hate speech, platform manipulation, child safety, impersonation, civic integrity, and more. We have made significant progress in combating misinformation from various perspectives on X.”
In September, experts expressed concerns to the Daily Caller News Foundation about Musk’s platform leaning towards censorship, but Musk has since rolled back some of these measures.
For instance, in August, X was hiring specialists to address “election interference” on the platform, but Musk reportedly dismissed half of these employees in September.
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Musk quipped on X, “Oh, you mean the ‘Election Integrity’ Team that was undermining election integrity? Yeah, they’re gone.”
After assuming control of the platform, Musk reinstated many banned accounts, including former President Donald Trump, clinical psychiatrist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, and satirical outlet the Babylon Bee.
He has also released several sets of “The Twitter Files,” which contain internal company documents revealing instances of censorship, including emails related to X’s decision to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020.
The European Union (EU) is employing its Digital Services Act (DSA) to influence platforms like X to moderate objectionable content. The law came into effect in August and mandates that large platforms enhance content moderation by cracking down on “disinformation,” potentially imposing substantial penalties for violations.
In October 2022, Musk informed the European Commission that the platform would comply with the DSA, as reported by Reuters.
