SAN FRANCISCO — After Brianna Wu, a software engineer and game developer, faced violent threats on Twitter in 2014 as part of a virulent campaign that came to be known as “Gamergate,” she teamed up with the company to develop tools to eradicate misogyny and violence. and misinformation online.
Today, she worries that all that could be undone by Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who this week struck a deal to buy Twitter for about $44 billion.
Mr. Musk’s vow to protect free speech while “unlocking” the company’s potential has sounded the alarm among those who, in some cases, have devoted their careers to fighting the toxic and sometimes dangerous stream of misinformation. and disinformation.
While his exact plans remain unclear, they cite his promises to remove barriers to free speech, as well as his own record of provocative, sometimes insulting statements on Twitter, including calling a British diver involved in the rescue of children. in 2018 who were trapped in a cave in Thailand a pedophile.
“I think it’s just going to be an ever-increasing free-for-all,” Ms. Wu said in a telephone interview.
For Media Matters for America, the liberal-oriented research organization, concerns were raised in the celebratory reactions of people that Twitter had removed from the platform for violating its rules of conduct.
They include prominent conservative figures such as Steve Bannon and Representative Marjorie Taylor Green; the Infowars broadcaster; and even a QAnon figure called “Clandestine,” who helped spread a Russian conspiracy theory about US biological weapons labs in Ukraine.
Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters for America, said Mr. Musk as the sole owner of Twitter would have the power to oversee many of the efforts that have put the company at the forefront of social media companies when it comes to limiting harmful content. or hateful assaults.
In a tweet, he compared Musk’s acquisition to the launch of Fox News in the name of providing a balance between what its founders, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes, considered the “liberal media.”
While smaller than other platforms — with 217 million daily users, compared to billions on Facebook and Instagram — Twitter’s moderation efforts had been an example campaigners like Mr. Carusone could point to when urging other companies to do more to prevent dangerous to curb misinformation.
“Do I think Elon Musk will be at the forefront of tackling the problems of disinformation and rising extremism? No, I just don’t,” he said, adding: “I think there is a very strong argument that there is a dilution of Twitter’s policies.”
How Elon Musk Bought Twitter
A blockbuster deal. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, put an end to what seemed an unlikely attempt by the famed mercurial billionaire to buy Twitter for about $44 billion. Here’s how the deal unfolded:
Mr. Musk’s fortune and fame — he’s also behind Tesla and SpaceX — will give him a powerful pulpit in the swirling debates about the limits of free speech, which he called “the foundation of a functioning democracy.” in a statement on Monday announcing the purchase.
He could also face financial and political constraints, such as a new European Union law requiring social media platforms to rid their sites of misinformation and abuse. That could dampen some of the “heaven falls” fears about his takeover.
At least one idea he’s put forth, of disclosing the algorithms the company has designed, aligns with those of people advocating for the reduction of harmful content.
They include, most notably, former President Barack Obama, who outlined a vision for fighting disinformation at a conference at Stanford University last week, including subjecting algorithms to greater scrutiny and regulation.
“The real problem,” said Rachel Goodman, counsel for Protect Democracy, an impartial nonprofit, “is that the future of how we share, promote and debate the issues at the heart of our democracy should not depend of whether a single person is in control is a superhero or supervillain.”
