By Oyintari Ben
Twitter users who had their accounts suspended in the past will now be given “amnesty,” according to Elon Musk.
Users were asked via a poll by the new Twitter owner if suspended accounts should be restored as long as they had not violated any laws or posted spam.
Users overwhelmingly supported the plan as of Thursday’s polling deadline.
“The people have had their say. Next week, amnesty will start. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk wrote in a tweet on Thursday. “The voice of the people, the voice of God,” is how the Latin phrase is translated.
Online safety experts have previously cautioned that under Musk’s new regulations, Twitter may experience an increase in hate speech, abuse, and false information.
Former US President Donald Trump, self-described “politically incorrect” psychologist Jordan Peterson, and far-right US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been accused of spreading false information about COVID-19 and conspiracy theories, have all had their accounts revived by Musk.
Five days after being unbanned, Trump has yet to tweet.
In the meantime, Musk has dismissed a large number of the international staff members and contractors in charge of deleting accounts that incited hatred or spread false information.
The decision by Twitter to close its office in Brussels and lay off thousands of employees has alarmed the European Union.
Didier Reynders, the head of justice for the EU, said on Thursday that cutting the company’s employees would affect its capacity to take down illegal internet content. In Dublin, he met with Twitter representatives.
An unnamed official informed the reporters that Twitter reps “reaffirmed the commitment of the corporation to ensure complete compliance with EU legislation.”
Commissioner Reynders acknowledged it and requested that Twitter turn this commitment into actions.
