Alex Jones speaks at a rally for pro-Trump supporters outside the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, on Nov. 5, 2020.
AP
Elon Musk once described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has brought back some banned Twitter accounts.
But Musk drew the line at right-wing conspiracy theorist and Sandy Hook denier Alex Jones.
Musk has been confronted with the fact that Twitter relies on ads for revenue, and unsafe content could put the business at risk.
Elon Musk once described himself as a “free speech absolutist.” However, since he officially became Twitter’s new owner and was confronted with the reality of the advertising market, he has shifted that stance.
On Friday, Musk announced on Twitter that previously suspended accounts, including comedian Kathy Griffin and right-wing satirical site the Babylon Bee, have had their accounts restored.
But Musk has indicated that he does plan to put parameters on speech on Twitter. For example, one Twitter user asked Musk to “Bring back Alex Jones!!!!,” to which Musk replied with a firm “No.”
Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist and Sandy Hook school-shooting denier was permanently banned from Twitter in 2018 for “abusive behavior.”
Musk’s initial vision of an entirely “free speech platform” has come up against the realities of running Twitter as a profitable business.
Many advertisers prefer not to show ads next to content they deem “unsafe,” and some major companies, including Chipotle and General Motors, have already suspended campaigns on Twitter. Losing ad dollars could sacrifice Twitter’s entire business: advertising made up 89% of the company’s revenue in 2021.
On Friday, Musk tweeted an amended blueprint.
“New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach. Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter. You won’t find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet,” he tweeted.
It is unclear what Musk meant by “demonetized” since Twitter users traditionally have not made money from advertisers.