Twitter Forming Content Moderation Council; Owner Elon Musk Vows “No Major Content Decisions Or Account Reinstatements” Before New Body Meets

deadline.com:

Elon Musk, who just took over Twitter in a $44 billion leveraged buyout, sought to allay fears about the direction of the social media company by saying it is forming a content moderation council. “Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints,” the billionaire entrepreneur tweeted. “No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.” Without further details beyond Musk’s brief statement, it is difficult to discern the exact nature of the new council’s role or what it may mean in terms of expectations that many notorious figures and their followers could be on their way back onto Twitter.

Facebook, facing a storm of controversy in recent years over the content circulating on its network, created a similar body and promised it would function independently from the company’s management team.

Former President Donald Trump and a range of others, especially far-right figures and conspiracy mongers like Alex Jones and David Duke have been permanently banned from Twitter.

Trump’s ouster stemmed from his behavior on January 6, 2021, as well as during the runup to the assault on the U.S. Capitol.