Musk announces reactivation of suspended Twitter accounts

The owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, announced this Thursday (24) that he will start to reinstate suspended accounts on the platform next week, after taking a poll in which the majority of users voted in favor of the change.

“People have spoken. Amnesty starts next week,” Musk tweeted, after launching a query on the matter among Twitter users on Wednesday.

Of the roughly 3.16 million people who voted, 72.4% answered “yes” to Musk’s question, which asked whether Twitter should offer a “general amnesty for suspended accounts, as long as they don’t break the law or send outrageous spam.” “.

Musk, who bought the social network at the end of October for $44 billion, had already consulted users to decide whether Donald Trump could return to the platform.

The former US president had been banned from the social network after the attack on the Washington Capitol in January 2021 by his supporters.

Trump’s account was reinstated after a narrow majority (51.8%) of the 15 million users in a Twitter poll voted in favor of returning the Republican billionaire to the network.

The use of polls to define guidelines on the social network goes against a commitment expressed by Musk shortly after the company’s acquisition, when he announced the formation of a “moderation board [de conteúdo] with very different points of view”.

“No major decisions on content or account reinstatement will be made until this council meets,” he tweeted.

But the planet’s richest man reneged on that promise after accusing “activists” and “politicians” of trying to “kill Twitter by drying up [as suas] advertising revenue”, which represent 90% of the company’s turnover.

Several major brands, including Volkswagen, General Motors and General Mills, have announced they will suspend advertising spend on Twitter since its acquisition by Musk.