Elon Musk giving 'serious thought' to starting new social media platform for free speech

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Elon Musk is giving “serious thought” to building a new social media platform. The reason? Twitter doesn’t support free speech. 

In a series of tweets on Friday and Saturday, the billionaire Tesla founder and “free speech absolutist” asked his audience on Twitter if they believed Twitter adheres to the principle of free speech.

Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.

Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2022

Seventy per cent voted “no.”

“The consequences of this poll will be important,” wrote Musk. “Please vote carefully.”

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy,” added Musk, who uses Twitter as his primary means of communicating with the public. “What should be done?”

Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.

What should be done? https://t.co/aPS9ycji37

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022

While many users responded with the suggestion that he simply buy out Twitter, others raised the possibility of him building a new platform.  

“If you’re a leftist making death threats against conservatives. or organizing riots, Twitter respects your freedom of speech. Twitter also respects the freedom of speech for media hoaxes like when every major outlet framed an innocent Covington high school kid,” wrote conservative commentator Mike Cernovich in response to Musk’s question, to which Musk replied: “Doesn’t sound very balanced.”

Doesn’t sound very balanced

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2022

Asked by a user if he would consider building a new social media platform consisting of an open source algorithm and one that would emphasize free speech, Musk said that he is “giving serious thought to this.”  

Should Musk go ahead with creating a new platform, he would be joining a growing segment of alternative social media platforms including Gab, Carbon, Gettr, Minds, Parler, and former president Donald Trump’s Truth Social.  

As many users have pointed out, Musk’s platform would have to be apolitical — and quite unlike the present alternatives, which have a long way to go before achieving critical mass.