Ismail Khalid
Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, has claimed that hate speech has gone down by one-third on the microblogging platform from pre-spike levels.
Musk tweeted a graph showcasing a rapid decline in hate speech on the platform. He also congratulated the Twitter team for the milestone achievement.
Hate speech surge on Twitter
Before taking over Twitter, Elon Musk promised to reduce censorship on Twitter and “free the bird.” According to a study published by a group of academics from Montclair State University, US, hate speech significantly spiked when the new CEO assumed charge of the microblogging platform.
Recently, the billionaire owner also announced a new “freedom of speech” policy. He specifically stated that it did not mean “freedom of reach” — Tweets having hate speech would be “deboosted” and “demonetized”, implying that they would not get viral attention.
Musk further said that the tweets would remain on the platform. However, they would only be found if someone specifically looked for them.
Earlier, Twitter’s former head of safety and security, Yoel Roth, had also acknowledged a rise in hate speech. According to his tweet, the company has deleted over 1,500 accounts after observing a “surge in hateful conduct.”
