A new era is dawning. Elon Musk has officially taken control of Twitter for 44 billion dollars, and will tackle the site of moderation. On Friday, he announced that he intends to create a council that will be responsible for looking into many issues, including that of reversing permanent evictions like that of Donald Trump.
“No major decision on content or reactivation of account will take place without the intervention of the council”, specified the multibillionaire, while General Motors (GM) announced that it would stop for the moment to broadcast advertisements on the social network in a period of “uncertainty”
Find the middle ground
On Thursday, Elon Musk tried to clarify his vision, saying he wanted to allow all opinions to be expressed on the site, without making it an “infernal” platform where everything would be allowed.
It is “important for the future of civilization to have an online public square where a wide variety of opinions can debate in a healthy way, without resorting to violence”, he wrote in a message specifically addressed to advertisers. He also assures that he did not undertake this acquisition because it was “easy” or “to make money”, but to “try to help humanity”.
Compliance with European laws
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has warned the billionaire that Twitter will have to comply with new EU digital regulations that force major platforms to moderate their content. “In Europe the bird will fly according to our European rules,” Breton tweeted.
Twitter, which had 238 million so-called “active” daily users at the end of June, attracts a smaller audience than a giant like Facebook, but many policymakers, businesses and the media.
Financially, the game looks tight for a company that has always struggled to generate profits and will also have to repay the $ 13 billion loan taken out by Elon Musk for its takeover.