Public Citizen accused Elon Musk of insincerity in his claims that he wants to make Twitter a platform that promotes free speech. This was after the non-profit organization was blocked by Musk.
Public Citizen, a non-profit public advocacy group has accused Elon Musk of insincerity in his claims that he would make Twitter a platform that supports free speech. The organization made the accusation on April 27, via a tweet after their account was blocked by Musk. The tweet raised doubts about the commitment of Musk to free speech considering that this was the impression Musk created during his quest to take over the micro-blogging platform.
The Musk Takeover
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla bought Twitter for $44 billion this week. This is despite calling the quest to own the company “a recipe for disaster” a week before he made the offer to the Twitter board of directors. Prior to the deal, Musk quietly bought Twitter stock worth $2.6 billion at the beginning of the year. This gave him 9% of the total Twitter shares before the acquisition.
Musk, who now owns the company, pending regulatory nod made it clear that his interest is to make the platform a channel that enables and promotes freedom of speech.
The Offending Tweet
Public Citizen has accused Musk of insincerity, considering that he blocked the organization, which they said is an indication that he is intolerant of criticisms. A search of the Public Citizen’s Twitter Timeline showed the offending tweet which may have prompted the block from Musk.
Do not trust Elon Musk.
Do not trust Jeff Bezos.
Do not trust Mark Zuckerberg.
Do not trust Tim Cook.
Do not trust Sundar Pichai.
Do not trust Satya Nadella.
Regulate them. Break up Big Tech. Hold them accountable.
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) April 26, 2022
In the tweet, the organization known for its advocacy for consumers wrote that Musk and other founders of big tech companies should not be trusted. It added that big tech companies such as those belonging to Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook and Satya Nadella should be broken up, regulated and their owners held accountable. In another tweet, Public Citizen demanded that Congress reigns in big monopolies.
Free Speech Not An Obligation To Listen
In their reaction to the accusation that Musk is intolerant of criticism, there seemed to be a consensus among those that made comments in response to the post. They agreed that freedom of speech doesn’t imply that people are obliged to listen.
Mslaurus, in her response wrote:
“Wow, nothing says I support free speech like blocking someone for using their free speech.”
Free Speech doesn’t mean, that anyone is obliged to listen to you.
— Irene Lykke Fisker (@lykkefisker) April 27, 2022
Another response in support of Musk made by Irene Lykke Fisker stated:
“Free Speech doesn’t mean that anyone is obliged to listen to you.”
Others made it clear that if Musk is not in support of freedom of speech that the Public Citizen wouldn’t still be on Twitter but would be facing a ban as was common when the platform was being controlled by Jack.
Will President Trump Be Reinstated On Twitter?
On January 6, Twitter placed a permanent ban on the former US president, Donald Trump for “incitement” during the Capitol riots. With Musk’s new emphasis on free speech, it is expected that the ban on Trump will soon be lifted.
