New Twitter owner Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet response that the outlet has “interfered in elections.”
Musk responded to a user who suggested Twitter has “shown itself to be not safe for the past 10 years” — partly because the company’s “trust and safety” team had “sold their souls to a corporation.”
“Exactly. The obvious reality, as long-time users know, is that Twitter has failed in trust & safety for a very long time and has interfered in elections,” Musk said in response to the user, confirming what critics of the platform have long since speculated.
Exactly. The obvious reality, as long-time users know, is that Twitter has failed in trust & safety for a very long time and has interfered in elections.
Twitter 2.0 will be far more effective, transparent and even-handed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 30, 2022
“Twitter 2.0 will be far more effective, transparent and even-handed,” Musk continued in reference to his recent plans to revamp the platform’s structure.
The interaction was spurred by a Tuesday Reuters article highlighting Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth, who claimed the platform was “not safe” under Musk. Roth further suggested Twitter no longer had enough staff for “safety work.”
Roth’s statement appeared to contradict his previous comments about how Twitter’s safety had improved since Musk’s acquisition of the company. During a Tuesday interview at the Knight Foundation conference, Roth said “no” when asked if he still felt safety had improved under Musk.
The former head of trust and safety was reportedly involved in major company decisions regarding content moderation, including the previously permanent suspension of former President Donald Trump following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 2021.
“One of my limits was if Twitter starts being ruled by dictatorial edict rather than by policy … there’s no longer a need for me in my role, doing what I do,” said Roth. However, Roth conceded the platform had made an error in restricting the New York Post’s article suggesting the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop may implicate then-Presidential candidate Joe Biden in corrupt use of Vice Presidential powers under the Obama administration.
On Monday, Musk updated users on his investigation in Twitter’s previous company policies, presumably regarding political deboosting, algorithmic censorship, and suspension of accounts.
“The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened …
The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
“The amount of pro psy ops on Twitter is ridiculous!” Musk said on Monday, appearing to confirm previous speculation that Twitter was being used to influence public opinion.
“At least with new Verified they will pay $8 for the privilege haha.”
The amount of pro psy ops on Twitter is ridiculous! At least with new Verified they will pay $8 for the privilege haha.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
On Nov. 19, Trump’s Twitter account was reinstated following a poll conducted by Musk asking users if the former President should be allowed back on the platform.
Over 15 million people voted in the poll, with 51.8 percent in favor of reinstating the former president’s account.
“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated,” Musk tweeted. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” which translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”
As of Nov. 30, the former President has not posted on his reinstated Twitter account.
