The BBC’s technology correspondent James Clayton recently interviewed Elon Musk, the world’s second richest man, at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco. During the hour-long interview, Musk discussed a range of topics including hate speech, disinformation, political affiliations, the banning of TikTok, the value of Twitter, and the labelling of the BBC.
Musk denied claims that hate speech has spiked on Twitter
since he took over, arguing that there is less misinformation now than before.
However, some studies have found engagement with popular
misinformation-spreading accounts increased after his takeover. Musk also
revealed that he voted for Joe Biden and defended his decision to end the
Twitter ban on former President Donald Trump.
He claimed that his efforts to del”te bots and automated accounts
had decreased misinformation on Twitter after his takeover. However, the BBC’s
independent analysis of over 1,000 previously banned accounts that had been let
back on Twitter after Musk’s takeover found that more than a third of them had
spread abuse or misinformation.
Musk also stated that he was against banning TikTok despite
security concerns over its Chinese ownership, arguing that he is generally
against banning things. He revealed that he would refuse an offer to buy
Twitter for what he paid for it, and instead, he would be more concerned with
finding a buyer who cherishes the “truth” rather than how much they would pay.
In addition, Musk confirmed that he would change the BBC
Twitter label from “government-funded” to “publicly funded” after a recent row.
The BBC had objected to the original description, stressing its independence.
Overall, the interview provided insight into Musk’s views on
a range of topics related to Twitter and social media. While he claimed that
his efforts to reduce misinformation and abuse on the platform have been
successful, some studies and independent analyses have suggested otherwise.
Thirdly, Musk claimed that Twitter was beating bots in the
war on disinformation. However, some outside experts disagree, pointing to
studies that show engagement with popular, misinformation-spreading accounts
spiked after Musk’s takeover.
Fourthly, Musk stated that he was against banning TikTok,
despite security concerns over the app’s Chinese ownership. He argued that he
was generally against banning things and that a ban would benefit Twitter.
Fifthly, Musk claimed that he would turn down $44bn for
Twitter and that he was not motivated by money. He argued that it would be more
important to find a buyer who cherishes the “truth.”
Lastly, Musk confirmed that he would change the BBC Twitter
label from “government funded” to “publicly funded” after a recent row. The BBC
had objected to the original description, stressing the corporation’s
independence. Musk agreed to change the label to align with the BBC’s own
description of itself.
Overall, the interview shed light on Musk’s views on
Twitter, politics, and censorship. While some of his claims were disputed by
outside experts, his comments provide insight into his approach to running one
of the world’s largest social media platforms.
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