After Sealing Twitter Deal, Elon Musk Explains What He Means By 'Free Speech'

Clarifying his stance on free speech, Musk said by free speech he meant that which matches the law.

Elon Musk’s Twitter account displayed on phone

Source : Getty

New Delhi: In a first tweet after the Twitter deal was cracked, Tesla chief Elon Musk, who advocated for free speech on Wednesday explained what he actually meant by "free speech".

The world’s richest man is set to acquire the social media platform with the stated aim of turning it into a haven for free speech.

What’s Elon Musk stance on free speech?

Elaborating on the topic, Musk said by free speech he meant that which matches the law. "I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law,” he said hinting that his posts on free speech led to 'extreme antibody reaction' from those who fear free speech.

By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law.

I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.

If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.

Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022

"If people want less free speech, they will ask the governments to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people," Musk added.

Hailing free speech the SpaceX founder wrote, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”

Musk, who bought 100 per cent stake in the social media company wrote, “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential -- I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it".

Musk also hoped that his worst critics also remain on Twitter, "because that is what free speech means".

Meanwhile Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market tweeted that Elon Musk knows it well that he will have to abide by the EU rules. “Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules — regardless of their shareholding,” Breton tweeted.

Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding.

Mr Musk knows this well.

He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act.#DSA

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) April 26, 2022

The current explanation also raises questions at Musk taking a step back from his earlier free speech promise. Many think the present stance might be because of the European Union's indirect threat to Elon and Twitter.