The billionaire’s statements about supporting more free speech on the platform appear to have encouraged individuals previously banned for racism and encouraging violence.
…“The very worst people on the internet are obviously quite excited about the opportunities of Elon Musk’s Twitter,” said Sunder Katwala, the director of independent think tank British Future.
Mr Katwala has been working with the volunteer network since he was targeted by a Twitter troll who had previously been banned for racist abuse targeting England footballers…
Mr Katwala said that, by effectively pledging “if it’s legal it’s on”, Twitter under Mr Musk might run into challenges with how it handles content in jurisdictions outside of the US. Holocaust denial, for instance, is illegal in Germany but not in the US – although it is socially unacceptable.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at anti-fascism and anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate, told PA the mood among the far right is “hugely” concerning.
He said: “A huge chunk of people banned from Twitter previously think this is an opportunity to jump back on. Within the far right there was a lot of excitement.
“I definitely think it’s fair to say certain de-platformed individuals feel this was an opportunity to be allowed back and say what they want as a result.
“We do not know what Elon Musk’s Twitter will look like. We can only go from what he has been saying, but the things he has been saying are troubling. Regulation is the only answer.”
A spokesperson for Twitter said: “It is our top priority to keep everyone who uses Twitter safe and free from abuse.
“We acknowledge and want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring that Twitter doesn’t become a forum that facilitates abuse…
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