Elon Musk stunned the internet after announcing he had reached a whopping $44bn (£34.6bn) deal to buy Twitter.
“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,” Mr Musk said in a statement.
But what are his plans for the future of the platform used by more than 300 million people, including many world leaders?
How will Elon Musk make money?
More advertising probably as his takeover has been funded by high-cost borrowings and he will need to protect Twitter’s revenue stream.
But Mr Musk previously said that his interest in Twitter was “not a way to make money”.
He has expressed support for a Twitter Blue subscription package launched last year costing $3 (£2.6) for access to more features.
In a now-deleted tweet, he hinted that advertising could be removed entirely from Twitter: “The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive.”
Will Donald Trump return?
There were early fears from liberals that Musk’s takeover could result in the return of controversial right-wingers because every outrage creates traffic and reactions that ultimately generate revenue for the platform
Former President Donald Trump was suspended from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube after his followers stormed the Capitol building on January 6.
The companies cited concerns that he would incite further violence.
But even if his Twitter ban is reversed, Mr Trump says he does not plan to return to Twitter, instead opting to use his own platform, Truth Social.
“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth,” Mr Trump told Fox News.
He added that he believed Mr Musk, who he called a “good man”, will “make improvements” to the platform.
Reacting to Trump’s ban, Mr Musk said: “A lot of people are going to be super unhappy with West Coast high tech as the de facto arbiter of free speech.”
Fox News host and Trump supporter Tucker Carlson sensationally returned to Twitter just hours after the announcement.
“We’re back,”the @TuckerCarlson account tweeted Monday night.
Carlson was suspended from the platform last month after Twitter determined he violated its rules by referring to Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who is a transgender woman, as a man.
What happens to free speech under Musk and will the UK Far-Right feel emboldened to rejoin?
As the takeover was confirmed on Monday, the first thing Mr Musk mentioned in his statement on the issue was free speech, calling it the “bedrock of a functioning democracy”, and describing Twitter as the “digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated”.
In the past, the billionaire has self-identified as a “free speech absolutist” and suggested Twitter had failed to live up to its free speech principles and has been critical of its content moderation policies, arguing it has censored some voices.
Mr Musk has blocked people on the platform who have criticised him or his companies in the past, been sanctioned by the US over tweets about Tesla’s business and was sued for defamation after calling a cave diver a “pedo guy” – ultimately winning in court against British rescuer Vernon Unsworth.
I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2022
Britain First and far-right activist Tommy Robinson made short-lived attempts to return to Twitter with some claiming a “new dawn” for hate speech on the platform. They were quickly barred again and had their accounts suspended.
The head of research at anti-fascist group Hope not Hate, Joe Mulhall, warned in a tweet: “In response to news that @elonmusk is buying @Twitter lots of previously banned far-right organisations/people incl Tommy Robinson and Britain First have set up new accounts in the hope that they will be allowed under the new ownership. Big test for the platform and for Musk.”
Reacting to news of the takeover, Amnesty International said in a statement: “Regardless of ownership, Twitter has a responsibility to protect human rights, including the rights to live free from discrimination and violence and to freedom of expression and opinion – a responsibility that they already too often fail.
“We are concerned with any steps that Twitter might take to erode enforcement of the policies and mechanisms designed to protect users. The last thing we need is a Twitter that willfully turns a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against users, particularly those most disproportionately impacted, including women, non-binary persons, and others.”
An Edit button and open-source algorithms?
Mr Musk hit out at Twitter’s lack of an edit button back in a 2019 tweet: “Where’s the edit function when you really need it!?”
At the TED2022 conference in April 2022, he said: “I think you only have the edit capability for a short period of time, and zero out all retweets and favourites” after an edit.
He also expressed his support for longer-form tweets as well as concern over bias in what appears in an individual’s feed.
He claimed an “open-source algorithm” would make the calculus which determines what appears on a person’s Twitter feed publically availaible.
In March 2022, he tweeted, “I’m worried about de facto bias in ‘the Twitter algorithm’ having a major effect on public discourse. How do we know what’s really happening?”
Who is leaving Twitter and will Musk take on the Bot army?
One of the things Musk will look to address is the loss of a raft of influencers from the platform in the wake of his takeover.
Celebrities such as Jameela Jamil told her followers she will leave the site over fears “this free speech bid is going to help this hell platform reach its final form of totally lawless hate, bigotry, and misogyny.”
“Ah he got twitter,” The Good Place star said.
“I would like this to be my what lies here as my last tweet. Just really *any* excuse to show pics of Barold,” she wrote, adding a series of photos of the dog she shares with her musician boyfriend James Blake.
But others like Star Trek legend George Takei said he has no plans to quit the platform urging others to stay and fight hate speech.
“I’m not going anywhere,” the 85-year-old tweeted, adding: “The struggle against fascism, misinformation, and hate requires tough fighters.”
Mr Musk also pledged to “defeat the spam bots or die trying!” if his bid suceeded.
He wrote in a reply to that tweet that Twitter would “authenticate all real humans” under his ownership.
