Musk tweets revive fears about Twitter's direction
New Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted an anti-LGBT conspiracy theory on Sunday about what happened the night US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked, underscoring concerns about the platform's future after he vowed it would not become a "free-for-all hellscape." Musk, a self-declared "free speech absolutist," was responding to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who had tweeted to draw a line between Republicans who promote baseless conspiracy theories and the violent attack on Paul Pelosi in San Francisco. "There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye," Musk told Clinton, attaching a link to the story, which is no longer accessible, by the conservative Santa Monica Observer. The weekly outlet has published other conspiracy theories in the past, including that a body double for Clinton was sent to a debate with Donald Trump during the 2016 election campaign, according to the Los Angeles Times. Musk's tweet swiftly became a focal point for critics who have been nervous about the direction in which he intends to take Twitter, the leading platform for global discourse and diplomacy. Musk, whose outspoken and controversial tweets have courted trouble in the past, has vowed to dial back content moderation, relying more on computer algorithms than human monitors. Conservatives say past moderation has unfairly targeted their views. In a message meant to reassure jittery Twitter advertisers on his leadership, Musk said earlier this week that he realizes Twitter "cannot become a free-for-all hellscape where anything can be said with no consequences." But detractors warn that without standards, the world's "digital town square" is at risk of becoming flooded with misinformation, with possibly perilous consequences for democracy and public health. "Clinton: Conspiracy theories are getting people killed and we shouldn't amplify them. Owner of Twitter: But have you considered this conspiracy theory?" wrote University of Denver political scientist Seth Masket after Musk's Sunday tweet. Masket later tweeted a screenshot suggesting he had complained to Twitter about Musk's tweet, adding: "Somehow I doubt much will come of this." (AFP)