Against Censorship Beyond Law: Musk on His Idea of Free Speech Post Twitter Deal

Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Inc. 

(Photo: Twitter)

On Tuesday, a day after Elon Musk inked a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, he elaborated on what he meant by 'free speech' – a phrase that has been at the centre of the tech billionaire's agenda.

"By 'free speech', I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law," he said.

"If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people," he added.

Musk, a self proclaimed free speech absolutist, believes that Twitter is too aggressive in moderating speech. He has indicated that he wants to "unlock the platform's potential" and make it a free speech haven.

His comments come after Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, tweeted, "Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding. Mr Musk knows this well."

Content Moderation Could be Diluted

Under Musk's leadership, Twitter can expect substantial dilution of its content moderation policies in the interest of free speech.

It's a polarising move. While some celebrated this change, others expressed concern that this would encourage hate speech.

"The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all," Musk tweeted, responding to his critics.

In March, Musk kicked off the conversation about him purchasing Twitter when he invited a poll asking users if they believe Twitter rigorously adheres to free speech principles (most said "no").

On Monday, 25 April, Twitter announced that it has agreed to a $44 billion takeover offer from Musk. Once the deal is implemented, it will become a privately owned company.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," said Musk after the agreement was announced.