I don’t need to tell you about the dangers of big tech censorship.
You know as well as I do that social media is the new public square. The space where ideas and information are put forward, where debate and discussion can occur.
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others form part of our lives and for too long their censorship has controlled who and what we are allowed to see.
Throughout the COVID-19 period they were allowed to withhold information from legitimate medical experts because it didn’t align with their own views.
They remove content and information they don’t agree with under their own arbitrary and ever-changing “community standards”.
They restrict the ability of politicians and leaders, including a sitting President of the United States because they did not like what he was saying.
Their influence and control of information poses significant threats to freedom of speech and democracy.
But all of that may be about to change with Elon Musk’s ambitious take-over of Twitter.
Musk has a commitment to freedom of speech. He understands the need for people to be able to speak freely, to share and debate ideas, and his public stand against censorship is to be applauded.
Since the sale Musk has confirmed he intends to change Twitter in ways that will improve free speech and “increase trust”. Musk has said:
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.
Under Musk, Twitter now has the potential to become a true counterweight to the trend in Silicon Valley of silencing people whose opinions and beliefs are considered unacceptable.
This move can rehabilitate big tech, encouraging or even enforcing other companies to alter their positions and reopen their platforms to true free speech in order to remain competitive with Twitter.
Musk may even be able to demonstrate that what’s in the best interest of democracy and freedom is also in the best interests of the shareholder.
But let’s also be cautious. Musk has a business to run and the proof will be in the pudding and many before have changed track after a promising start.
As the saying goes, “go woke, go broke”.
http://www.alexantic.com.au/?e=661a0c3ff9a96fbeb0f52d31ceeb79d8&utm_source=alexantic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_enews_220503_split02&n=1
Former prime minister Scott Morrison may retire from parliament by the end of the year with hopes of potentially taking up a key international consulting post.......He was a nothing P.M....WEAK & FECKLESS...and now RUNNING AWAY from the Country he helped destroyed, JUSTICE needs to be served and SCOMO needs to be around to answer for his COWARDICE.
