Musk’s X May Embrace Strict Censorship Before Election, Say Free Speech Watchdogs.

Free Speech Watchdogs: Musk’s X May‌ Be Shifting Toward Strict Censorship Ahead of Election

Some of Elon Musk’s new policies for the social media platform now known as X have critics fearing it will return to Twitter’s censorious past, especially as the 2024 ‌presidential election‍ approaches.

Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights ⁣and Expression, is sounding⁢ the‌ alarm about Musk’s regime at the⁢ company.

“Musk hasn’t lived up to his stated commitment to​ free speech,” Terr told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“If he truly wants to make it a haven for free speech, he needs to take a‍ hard look at the platform’s content moderation‍ policies and practices.”

Many have pointed to⁣ Musk’s recent choice of Linda Yaccarino as his replacement CEO of X — formerly known as Twitter — as the start of the downhill trend for free speech on‍ the platform.

Once⁢ a vocal advocate and self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, @elonmusk has become increasingly silent⁢ on these issues.

Has Linda Yaccarino, a left-leaning WEF member, become the new arbiter of⁣ free ⁤speech on the platform? It’s not looking ⁣good. pic.twitter.com/Hymhj413sw

— Larry Alex Taunton ‌(@LarryTaunton) September 5, 2023

Yaccarino recently offered users “Freedom of Speech, Not ⁢Freedom of Reach”‌ within a summary of the platform’s supposedly reformed policies — an approach that some fear⁤ censors ​will ​use to​ diminish and minimize the spread⁢ of targeted content.

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“Restricting the reach of ⁤Tweets, also known as visibility⁣ filtering, is one of our existing enforcement actions that allows us to move beyond the binary “leave up versus take down” approach to content moderation,” the platform said in explaining its policies.

Musk has defended the approach, taking objection to “negative/hate tweets.”

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.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, ⁤2022

Critics of⁢ Big Tech aren’t buying the idea that the policy is a significant change from Twitter’s old approach.

“It’s ⁢a very silly ⁢policy, and I‍ think it’s about just as harmful as de-platforming, but it just seems a little more friendly and tolerant,” Jake Denton of the Heritage ​Foundation’s Tech Policy Center told DCNF.

James Woods — a longtime Hollywood actor and⁤ prolific user of Twitter for more than a decade — ⁢has also expressed criticism of X’s ​new ‍approach to content​ moderation.

“Honestly, it’s just the same old Twitter, censorship and all.”

Twitter’s new policy, called “Freedom of Speech, not Freedom of ⁤Reach” in a nutshell (see @Safety)

(And, yes, I know⁢ it’s “X” now, but honestly it’s just the same old Twitter, censorship ⁣and all)

When ​he locks my account, know I appreciate every one⁤ of you who have stood by me. pic.twitter.com/fmoVL7YGCb

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 31, 2023

The platform’s administration has also promised that those who pay for ​a subscription service ​variant of the service will⁤ be artificially prioritized, according to The Verge.

The approach has fueled criticism that X has ⁣become a de facto advertising platform instead of a digital public ​square under Musk’s administration.

X has suffered from a significant drop in ad revenue since Musk’s acquisition, according to The Guardian.

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