Leaders of significant human rights organizations have refuted Elon Musk’s accusations that they violated their agreement with him by urging businesses to stop using Twitter for advertising.
On Tuesday, Musk wrote in a tweet that if he agreed to this demand, “A sizable coalition of political and social activist organizations pledged not to try to suffocate Twitter with a lack of advertising revenue. They destroyed the deal.
Musk made no further mention of the arrangement. When the new owner of Twitter stated in October that he would create a content moderation committee and that “no big material judgments or profile effect is the phenomenon will occur before that council convenes,” one of his followers accused him of lying. In response, the new owner was accused of lying.
Trump’s Profile was Permanently Deleted
Trump’s profile was permanently deleted under the former administration following the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol. Still, Musk and the platform resurrected it over the weekend after a Twitter informal poll.
As Trump continues to assert that the 2020 election was stolen from him erroneously, Twitter executives in 2021 feared his presence and continuous usage of the platform might spark additional bloodshed.
Following an increase in a hate-filled speech on the website and after the business set off thousands of staff earlier this month, several civil rights organizations urged businesses to stop marketing on Twitter out of concern that it would make it more difficult for the company to police hate speech and other troublesome subject matter.
In response to Musk’s comments on Tuesday, Derrick Johnson, CEO of the National Organization for the Development of Colored People, stated that the civil rights organizations.
As it has been since our inception, Johnson added, “The choices being made at Twitter are hazardous, and it is our responsibility to stand against threats to our democracy.” There is no safe harbor for violent conspiracies or hate speech.
There was “no such contract” with Musk, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Free Press claimed in a statement to CNBC, echoing Johnson’s opinion.
Musk’s statement was “vague,” according to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, assistant director and director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s worldwide social action program, who spoke to CNBC. In a letter to Musk last week, the SWC requested that Twitter embrace the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in order to “degrade the marketing capabilities of antisemites on the social media platform.” One hundred eighty other nonprofit groups signed the letter.
According to Cooper, the letter “wasn’t a threat,” and the organizations “didn’t threaten any boycott” of Twitter.
Cooper said, “We’re asking Elon Musk, who we all know is a really innovative guy, to take the lead in this field. He claimed that over the previous two weeks, there had been a discernible rise in antisemitic content at his organization.
Agency and brand advertisers that halted their Twitter advertising after Musk took over the firm are reportedly waiting for information on changes to the company leadership, particularly teams focused on brand safety, according to Twitter internal messages seen by CNBC. They also want clarifications on Twitter’s plans for Twitter Blue verification and brand imitation prevention.
Under Musk’s direction, Twitter launched its Twitter Blue Verified membership service, which was quickly brought back after users discovered they could mimic corporations, politicians, and celebrities by purchasing the badges. For instance, a fake Eli Lilly account impersonating the pharmaceutical corporation tweeted, “we are thrilled to announce insulin is free now.
The business rushed to update the inaccurate information and suspend the impostor’s account.
Marketers’ worries extend beyond those brought up by civil rights activists. With so many people quitting or being let go, they also want guarantees that Twitter will be protected from hackers and better transparency from the new leadership about improvements to the service and business.
