When Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX announced his intention to buy Twitter for $43 billion, his letter to the company’s Board of Directors made a succinct but sweeping argument about the platform’s value as a forum for global free speech. “I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe,” Musk wrote, “and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.”In subsequent comments, Musk suggested that under his leadership, Twitter would bring transparency to the platform’s recommendation algorithm, endorsed the rollout of an edit button, and underscored his belief that Twitter’s moderation rules should not extend beyond the laws of the country in which it’s operating. But Musk has offered few other details on how Twitter might support the concept of free speech, while glossing over complicated issues that have dogged other social media platforms, such as content moderation and compliance with restrictive governments.If Musk is successful in his takeover attempt, he’ll be inheriting a company that’s on the front lines of navigating these questions all around the world.[…]
Source: A Twitter takeover would be a global headache for Elon Musk | Rest of World