The new Twitter boss Elon Musk (51) has announced the general release of blocked Twitter accounts. “The people have spoken. The amnesty starts next week,” Musk said Thursday. In a survey in the online service, a clear majority of users had previously spoken in favor of activation.
Only a few are exempt. According to Musk, accounts of users who have broken the law or are responsible for “excessive spam” will continue to be banned. He does not say which laws exactly and how far he goes.
Musk had asked users
Of the 3.16 million survey participants, 72.4 percent said Twitter should allow banned accounts, Musk wrote. Musk asked Twitter users if they were “for or against a blanket amnesty” for suspended accounts. Polls on Twitter are open to all users and can be used by fake accounts and bots.
Just last week, a similar investigation led to the unblocking of the profile of former President Donald Trump (76). Musk asked users if they favored a return of the Republican, who was expelled after the storm at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Of the more than 15 million participants, 51.8 percent voted in favour. The account of the ex-president, who entered the race for the 2024 presidential election a few days earlier, was released again on Saturday.
Already having unlocking issues
A blanket amnesty for suspended accounts could alert authorities, who have been keeping a close eye on Musk’s handling of hate mail since he bought the influential online network for $44 billion.
Other controversial Twitter profiles had previously been unblocked, including the accounts of psychologist Jordan Peterson and conservative transgender parody site Babylon Bee. Musk said on Sunday that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should not return to Twitter. (AFP/euc)