Elon Musk to reinstate previously suspended Twitter accounts amid 'mass amnesty'
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Elon Musk is welcoming all the earlier suspended Twitter accounts offering them a "general amnesty." The decision of the new CEO came amid an informal poll through his official Twitter account, asking people whether to allow them to be back on the microblogging platform. “Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam?” he asked. It was a resounding vote for yes at 72.4%, with around 3 million participating, though, it is difficult to determine who all voted.
Interestingly, Musk stepped back from his initial decision to buy Twitter on grounds that the social media site is inflicted with bots and inauthentic accounts. It cannot be determined which accounts the organization will allow being active again, as Musk has said, accounts that have ‘“broken the law or engaged in egregious spam” would not be given “amnesty,” reported The Verge. Online safety experts are fearing that the move will further escalate a rise in harassment, hate speech, and misinformation.
READ MORE
Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2022
"The people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," Musk tweeted using a Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people, the voice of God." He used the same Latin phrase while reinstating the account of former President Donald Trump last weekend by employing the same polling method. Many top advertisers have totally stopped their ads from Twitter, including Oreo-maker Mondelez, General Mills, Allianz, Audi, GM, United Airlines, and Pfizer, which Musk said has led to a "massive drop" in revenue, reports CBS News.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, "Any advertiser still funding Twitter should immediately pause all advertising. If Elon Musk continues to run Twitter like this, using garbage polls that do not represent the American people and the needs of our democracy, God help us all." After a record $44 billion takeover of Twitter, the SpaceX founder in October had promised to form the council with "widely diverse viewpoints," claiming that banned accounts wouldn’t be allowed to function until that group has a chance to meet. But recent events suggest quite opposite. "It's extremely chaotic and the morale is extremely low," Melissa Ingle, a content moderator who was recently let go, told the outlet.
Other than Trump returning to Twitter, some other big names that are reinstated include comedian Kathy Griffin, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kanye West, and psychologist Jordan Peterson.