Daesamyeon Elon Musk Warns of "Flood of Fake and Hate News"

Put to Vote "72% Approval"

(Photo by Reuters) [Image source=Reuters News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla who acquired Twitter, has decided to significantly expand the reinstatement of suspended accounts following the restoration of former U.S. President Donald Trump's account.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 24th (local time), Musk posted on his Twitter, "72% voted in favor," and announced, "Amnesty begins next week." He also wrote in Latin, 'Vox Populi, Vox Dei' (The voice of the people is the voice of God).

Amnesty refers to lifting suspensions on accounts that had been inactive. This decision follows the results of a survey conducted over a full day starting from the 23rd, targeting his followers.

Musk asked, "Should amnesty be granted to suspended accounts if they have not broken laws or engaged in massive spam?" The survey had 3.16 million participants, with 72.4% voting in favor and 27.6% against.

The survey's premise, "if they have not broken laws or engaged in massive spam," suggests that not all suspended accounts will have their suspensions lifted.

Musk has emphasized 'freedom of expression' and has been lifting bans on account activities. After a survey on the 19th, he restored former President Trump's permanently suspended account after 22 months, and on the 20th, he reinstated the account of American hip-hop star Ye (Kanye West), who had been sanctioned for anti-Semitic remarks, without a survey after about a month.

Additionally, accounts of conservative parody site Babylon Bee, U.S. comedian Kathy Griffin, and Canadian author Jordan Peterson were also restored. Griffin's account was suspended after posting messages impersonating Musk, and Peterson was sanctioned for posting hateful content about transgender actor Elliot Page.

Experts have expressed concerns that Musk's recent actions may lead to an increase in violence, harassment, and fake news on Twitter, according to The Washington Post (WP).

WP pointed out, "The criteria for 'users who broke laws' and 'massive spam' mentioned by Musk are ambiguous, and considering the varying laws across different jurisdictions, there are questions about how the reinstatement of suspended accounts will be handled."