In a surprising twist, Elon Musk has overturned the ban on political advertisements originally implemented on Twitter to combat misinformation.
Twitter Suspended Trump’s Account For Violating the Platform’s Policy
This reversal of policy, allowing potentially misleading political messages on X, occurred less than a week after former President Donald Trump made his re-entry onto the platform in January 2021.
Trump’s return was marked by his posting of a police mugshot from his arrest in Georgia, signifying his comeback to a platform that had served as his primary megaphone during his White House tenure.
Notably, this marked his first post since the aftermath of the US Capitol insurrection, which witnessed an enraged mob of his supporters trying to thwart the certification of Joe Biden as President.
The event’s consequences led to Twitter suspending Trump’s account for violating the platform’s policy against glorifying violence and propagating baseless claims about the election.
Truth Social
Having acquired the platform in the previous year, Elon Musk reinstated the former President’s account in November 2022.
However, Trump opted to engage with his followers through his platform, Truth Social, albeit with a considerably smaller audience.
As the platform is now known, X announced through a blog post that it will allow political ads to be featured again, initially in the United States, as part of its commitment to free expression.
The platform, however, maintains strict policies against promoting false or misleading information, particularly claims designed to undermine the integrity of elections.
Trump’s Truth Social
Trump’s recent post featuring his mugshot was accompanied by the caption “Election interference.”
A significant development in Trump’s political journey occurred when a judge set the date for his trial on charges of election subversion conspiracy on March 4, 2024 – a momentous event amid the next White House race.
In response to the new policy, X is enhancing its safety and elections teams to counter content manipulation on the platform. An online hub will also be established to facilitate the review of political ads.
Musk had previously downsized the staffing of the platform after acquiring it, leading to concerns about its content moderation and overall functionality.
X Is Revamping Policies To Address Misleading Content
X is also revamping its Civic Integrity Policy to address content that intends to intimidate or mislead voters.
These updates align with Musk’s philosophy of prioritizing user freedom of expression.
The platform emphasized that it shouldn’t be the sole arbiter of truthfulness in contested information; instead, it aims to empower its users to engage in open debates during elections while upholding freedom of expression.
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Source: France24