Elon Musk's plans for Twitter that have gotten on the nerves of the left

@ElentirENG ES 4·26·2022 · 7:00 0

This Monday the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and Space X, was confirmed. A purchase that could bring about important changes.

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The proposals that Elon Musk has already raised for Twitter

Musk's takeover of Twitter has been met with visible signs of nervousness on the left. Why so many nerves? To find out about Musk's plans for Twitter, just look at his own messages that he has posted on that social network:

• Protect freedom of speech. Musk conducted a Twitter poll on this topic on March 25, in which more than 2 million users voted. 70.4% stated that Twitter does not respect that freedom. On March 26, Musk commented: "Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy." On March 29, he wrote: "I disagree with you, but I disagree with deleting your stuff even more. That’s what free speech is about." This could put an end to the censorship for ideological reasons that Twitter has been applying to conservatives.
• Make the Twitter algorithm open source. Musk proposed it on March 24. This would be, without a doubt, one of the most radical changes on Twitter, since it would bring transparency to the censorship policies that this social network has been applying. It would imply putting an end to the "shadow banning", which is applied at the will of Twitter, without disclosing the criteria and often harming users who do not coincide with the leftist ideological line that the owners have been exhibiting until now. from Twitter.
• Add an edit button to tweets. Musk proposed it on April 5. One of the most annoying features of Twitter is that you can't edit a post once it's posted, something you can do on Facebook, Instagram and other social networks. It remains to be resolved whether the editing could be done at any time or on a temporary basis, so as not to affect the conversation between users.
• Eradicate spam bots. Botnets have become a cancer on Twitter, especially when it comes to spam, but also those used to harass users. On April 21, Musk said: "If our twitter bid succeeds, we will defeat the spam bots or die trying!"
• Verification of all users. On April 23, Musk criticized the current verification process on Twitter, stating that "is like if Kafka had a Magic 8-Ball." a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1517215736606957573" rel="noopener" target="_blank">On April 21, he stated that he intends to "authenticate all real humans" on Twitter. That would not only make things very difficult for botnets, but it could also end another of Twitter's scourges: trolls who harass other users.

The left wants to continue imposing its censorship on that social network

Why have so many leftists freaked out over these plans? Judging by what Musk has pointed out, his concept of freedom of speech covers everyone, without ideological discrimination. But the left does not want freedom for all: it wants to continue exercising censorship and controlling what should be deleted and what should not, without any transparency and establishing a double standard for users based on their political leanings.

Publishing Twitter's algorithms may expose some

Furthermore, publishing Twitter's algorithms could reveal the extent to which that company has been imposing ideological censorship and serving what interests, groups or governments. Twitter has become an important global communication tool and there are many who have tried to put it at their service, and some have succeeded. Recall that in 2018, a Twitter developer acknowledged the existence of algorithmic censorship filters that target right-wing users.

A scandalous case of censorship motivated by political revenge

Without a doubt, the most scandalous case of Twitter's interference in freedom of speech was what happened in the 2020 presidential elections in the United States, when Twitter and Facebook censored Trump 65 times and not once Joe Biden, after Trump signed a presidential order to curb ideological censorship on social networks, which would force technology giants to legally respond for their content, just as the media does, if they capriciously censor their users. That would have meant millionaire lawsuits against those giants.

The obvious revenge of the major social networks came in January 2021, when Twitter and Facebook censored Trump's accounts while maintaining those of the dictators of Cuba and Venezuela. A censorship that is still in force today and is unprecedented in these social networks. Precisely, the reopening of Trump's accounts could be proof that things have changed on Twitter, and that an outrageous ideological bias has been put an end to what can be said on Twitter and by whom. tell.

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Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times.