Musk has taken Twitter by storm. Then some users started testing chaos | Business news

NEW YORK (AP) — Not long after Elon Musk took control of Twittersome conservative figures wasted no time jumping on the platform and spreading long-debunked conspiracy theories in a mocking attempt to “test” whether Twitter’s misinformation policy is still being enforced.

Twitter hasn’t announced any immediate policy changes, and in a tweet Friday afternoon, Musk said Twitter would form a “content moderation board with a wide variety of perspectives” and “no major decisions on content or account recovery will not occur until this advice. is convened.”

But that didn’t stop users from cheering — or criticizing — what they expected to be swift acceptance of Musk’s earlier promises to cut moderation in the name of promoting freedom of speech. Some were eager to see what they could get away with under the new regime.

Popular right-wing pundits tweeted buzzwords like “ivermectin” and “Trump won” to see if they would be penalized for content they believed had previously been flagged. Ivermectin, a cheap drug that kills parasites in humans and animals, has been promoted by some Republican lawmakers and conservative talk show hosts as an effective treatment for COVID-19. But health experts pushed backwarning that there is little evidence that it works.

“Ok @elonmusk is it on?” Steve Cortez, a former commentator for the conservative television network Newsmax and an adviser to former President Donald Trump, tweeted where he included a microphone emoji. “THERE ARE TWO GENRES, TRUMP WON IVERMECTIN ROKS.”

In a letter aimed at assuaging advertisers’ fears, Musk promised on Thursday that Twitter would not be a “free-for-all hellscape where you can say anything without consequence.”

But the jury is still out what will happen to the social media platform — and what it will endure. Watchers keep track of who’s staying, who’s leaving and who could potentially return from the list of people the platform has banned over the years. They range from Trumpto conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke — none of them have returned to the platform yet.

The Associated Press checked at least a dozen other Twitter accounts that have been suspended by the platform — including those used by right-wing activist James O’Keefe and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — and each found an “account suspended” message on Friday. in the afternoon

At least one found a way to get his message across.

“I’m so glad that Twitter is now in good hands and will no longer be run by left-wing lunatics and maniacs who truly hate our country,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday morning, leaving no comment. signs. will he return to the platform or not, even if Musk said he would would allow this.

“I LOVE THE TRUTH!” he said, adding that Twitter would be “better” if it got rid of the bots and fake accounts “that hurt it so badly”.

Earlier in the day, news reported that Kanye West, the rapper legally known as Ye, had returned to Twitter after being locked out of his account earlier this month for his anti-Semitic social media posts.

But there was no evidence that his account status had changed or that Musk played a role, and there was no sign of recent activity. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Ye had returned to the platform. The rapper and fashion designer was also suspended from Instagram, where his account was recently reinstated.

Meanwhile, dozens of extremist profiles — some newly created — spread racial slurs and Nazi imagery while expressing gratitude to Musk for his new leadership. One such publication shared the latest news about Musk taking over the company by tweeting a racial slur and the message: “thanks Elon.” Another anonymous account tweeted, “Now Elon controls Twitter, unleash the racial slurs,” along with several other disparaging comments.

“His acquisition by Twitter has opened a Pandora’s box,” rights group Ultraviolet said in a prepared statement Friday, while urging Musk, Twitter executives and the company’s board of directors to continue enforcing the ban on Trump “as well as violent rights.” extremist and white supremacist wing.”

Some users reacted to the news threatening to quit, and others mocked them for it. The terms “Elon” and “removal” were trending on Twitter on Friday as users discussed the fallout. Speculation has also permeated the platform. Some worried that their Twitter followers were falling, suggesting that Twitter might be purging bots. Other users have posted unverified reports that their “likes” are dropping.

“Elon Musk bought the platform, he didn’t buy the people,” said Jennifer Grygiel, a social media expert and professor at Syracuse University. “And we still have a choice in how we get our news, our information and how we communicate.”

Grygiel said that if Twitter descends into further chaos under Musk, that’s not a bad thing, as the platform increasingly serves the interests of corporate and state media.

And as always, users were quick to crack jokes — trying to get rid of the mess in funnier ways.

“In honor of Elon now owning this site, I’d like to start total chaos,” CNN commentator Bakary Sellers tweeted Friday morning. “Which is better Popeyes or Bojangles and why?”

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