Hate speech concerns aired for Musk's Twitter

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world and chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has described himself as a "free speech absolutist" and has made it clear he supports more unbridled expression on Twitter.

Now some people in the United States are raising concerns about hate speech after Musk clinched a $44 billion deal on Monday to buy Twitter－perhaps the world's most influential social media platform－and take it private.

Musk, 50, has been critical of Twitter's policies of moderating content and has said the social media giant should become a genuine forum for free speech.

"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," Musk said in a statement.

Some observers are concerned the platform could see an increase in disinformation and harassment.

Barrett Newkirk, a former journalist, said he cut back on his Twitter use because he doesn't find it that productive. He said the company probably should provide more oversight about banning accounts and blocking or removing hateful or offensive tweets than it has been.

"It's like they should be moving more in that direction," Newkirk told China Daily. "I will admit that I haven't been using it as much as I did at one time, and I think maybe they've taken some steps to enhance their oversight, but my sense has always been that they should be doing more, not less."

August Kolb, a student at New York University, told China Daily: "There is a lot of leeway for hate speech to be placed on the app and a lot of information is being spread very, very rapidly. So I think Twitter's trying to curb that; it's not a wrong direction to go in, especially because, you know, the people who run the app, it's their app. If they want no misinformation, they can do that.

"And I think that Elon is throwing a little bit of a very money-induced temper tantrum, that he wants to say what he wants to say. I think that a lot of users might leave the app and look for other applications."

However, some conservatives in the US cheered the prospect of fewer controls.

"It finally feels like someone is standing up for a principle that has been going in an opposite direction lately: less free speech, less ability to express yourself－if you are a conservative," said US Representative Bill Huizenga, a Michigan Republican.

Several Twitter users on Monday said they were considering leaving the platform over concerns that Musk would reinstate accounts suspended for violating Twitter rules against hate speech, The Hill reported.

"A big concern on Twitter and social media is regulating hate speech, and Musk seems to be approaching it with the intent of opening up and deregulating some of them in the guise of free speech," Newkirk said.