Elon Musk said Thursday that Twitter will grant “general amnesty” to accounts suspended from the platform starting next week. The CEO posted a bearing the day before on whether the platform should restore affected accounts.
The news comes a week after Musk also ended former President Donald Trump’s ban from the platform following a similar poll. Trump was exiled after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he has no intention of returning to the platform.
Musk’s poll of users included a caveat that suspended account holders could rejoin the platform “provided they have not broken the law or engaged in blatant spam.” About 3.2 million users responded to the poll, which saw 72.4% vote for amnesty.
“The people have spoken. The amnesty starts next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk said, using a Latin phrase meaning “The voice of the people is the voice of god.”
Historically, Twitter has banned accounts that glorify hate and harassment, have the potential to incite violence, or rampantly spread misinformation that can lead to harm. Some high-profile individuals who were banned include MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell after he made a series of claims that Trump actually won the 2020 presidential election; former Trump adviser and former Breitbart executive chairman Steve Bannon after he said Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded; and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes for violating the site’s policy of banning violent extremist groups.
It’s unclear from Musk’s brief tweet how Twitter will handle content moderation going forward, as more potentially problematic voices will return to the platform. These concerns have only been exacerbated by Musk’s mass layoffs and the general exodus of employees who would rather quit than be “hardcore.”
