Twitter’s new owner is creating a “content moderation council” for the social media platform. This sounds very similar to Facebook’s Oversight Board.
Twitter now belongs to Elon Musk, but you shouldn’t expect him yet to reverse bans on user accounts.
Musk announced Friday that he would establish a content moderation council for Twitter. This council will presumably assist him in rewriting the platform’s policies and determining what is permitted.
Musk was sparse with details. Musk was vague on details. However, he tweeted that the council would include a “diverse number” of viewpoints. He added that “no major content decisions or account reinitializations will occur before that council convenes.”
Musk denied that Kanye West was banned from Twitter amid false reports (Opens in new window) that Twitter had reactivated his account. Twitter temporarily blocked West’s account from sharing anti-Semitic material earlier this month. This is a policy that allows accounts to be reactivated after a specified period of time or when the account holder deletes any content that violates Twitter policies.
Musk said: “Ye’s account was restored to you by Twitter prior to the acquisition.” They didn’t consult or inform me.”
Musk has stated repeatedly that he is buying Twitter to control the content moderation on the platform and promote free speech. This includes the lifting of Twitter’s ban on ex-President Donald Trump’s Twitter account for his involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.
Musk’s decision not to create a content moderation board signals that he will take his time crafting new Twitter policies. Musk sent an advertisement on Thursday stating that Twitter cannot be a “free-for-all hellscape” where anyone can say what they want without consequences.
However, there could be big changes in the future. Musk fired Parag Agrawal, the previous CEO of the company, and Vijaya Gadde (head of legal, policy and trust), who were reportedly pivotal in Trump’s ban from the platform.
Bloomberg reports that Musk supports reversing Twitter’s permanent bans. Musk previously stated that he believed that Twitter should be allowed to continue using the service. Permanent bans are a good idea. Time-outs are better than permanent bans, you know.
Musk’s decision not to create a content moderation board is already being compared to Facebook’s parent Meta. It created an “Oversight Board” for content policy decisions.
Meta’s Oversight Board was even inspired by the news to respond (Opens in new window). The group tweeted that independent oversight of content moderation plays a crucial role in building trust on platforms and ensuring users receive fair treatment. This is a model that we have been using since 2020. We welcome the chance to discuss Twitter’s plans with the company.”
