Elon Musk said Saturday that he would consider allowing right-wing provocateur and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to return to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Jones was banned from Twitter in 2018 after posting harassing messages, a month after other tech companies such as Facebook and YouTube also suspended his accounts.
Jones, who last year was ordered to pay $1 billion to the families of eight victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting after spending years promoting the claim that the massacre was a hoax, said he hoped Musk will reinstate his position. his account. In an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired on X on Thursday, Jones said users regularly asked Musk to bring him back to the platform.
“I always say, 'Hey, if you're so absolutist about free speech, bring back Alex Jones,'” Jones said. “I understand that he needs to go through a process before doing it.”
On Saturday, Musk responded to an X user who said it was time to bring Jones back to the platform. “Okay,” Mr. Musk. wrote.
Musk then started a poll and asked his 165 million followers if he should get Jones' account back.
Although Musk has yet to go ahead and reactivate Jones' account, the move could further alienate advertisers, who have abandoned the platform in droves over fears that Musk's lack of content moderation would allow their brands to appear alongside offensive content. At the New York Times DealBook Summit in November, Musk insulted advertisers using a slur and told them not to spend on his platform.
Since then, X has focused on small businesses and sought to have its advertising dollars replace the revenue it previously relied on from big brands. “If you're a small business and you have a product idea for us or a new way we can help you more, please share it,” said X CEO Linda Yaccarino. aware on Friday.
