Elon Musk vows to unblock thousands of banned Twitter accounts

Billionaire says accounts which have not broken law or posted spam will have suspensions revoked

Elon Musk has enacted sweeping changes since taking over Twitter last month

Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP

Elon Musk has pledged to unblock thousands of previously banned Twitter accounts despite fears over hate speech and misinformation on the social network.

The Tesla billionaire held a poll on the social network, offering a “general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam”.

Mr Musk has enacted sweeping changes at the social network as part of what he sees as a drive to boost free expression.

However, the “amnesty” is expected to prompt concerns from brands and advertisers that a flood of accounts banned for bullying or hate speech could return to the site.

Mr Musk has already reinstated the previously banned account of former US President Donald Trump as he overturns what he sees as overzealous censorship by Twitter.

The billionaire had originally promised to install a politically neutral content moderation council to get key decisions, but tore up the pledge and instead polled his Twitter followers on key decisions.

Mr Musk’s changes could also bring him into conflict with online safety laws in the UK and Europe.

Britain is planning to reintroduce the Online Safety Bill to Parliament next month, which will place a legal duty on social media companies to implement clear moderation policies under the threat of fines.

Twitter was acquired by Mr Musk in a $44bn deal last month after a months-long legal battle. The billionaire has sacked thousands of staff since taking over, clearing out employees who questioned his decisions and installing a cadre of close advisors at the top of the company.

Last night, Mr Musk added the company would be launching a refreshed verification process next week. Twitter accounts will ultimately have to pay to secure verification on the site.

He said the new features would include a “gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates”.