Elon Musk has been slammed for his decision to allow previously banned accounts to return to Twitter, which one expert says amounts to “opening the gates of hell to some of the worst people on the internet”. Social media commentator Matt Navarra said the move would allow banned users to “come back from their Twitter jail cell” to “harass, abuse and disrupt” others on the site.
Musk’s announcement came after he shared a poll asking Twitter users to vote on reinstatements for accounts that have not “broken the law or engaged in egregious spam” – the yes vote was 72 percent. “The people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” he tweeted using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God”.
Last week, the billionaire restored Donald Trump’s account after a similar poll – although the former US president has not yet tweeted – and also recently allowed Kanye West to return after he was suspended for antisemitic comments. The new amnesty – which Musk said will begin next week – could see a number of far-right and controversial figures allowed back on the platform, including Katie Hopkins and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon.
