Musk's free speech definition is utter nonsense and his suggestions for Twitter completely ignore decades of content moderation iteration on social platforms

from the not-how-any-of-this-works dept — Lots of talk yesterday as Elon Musk made a hostile takeover bid for all of Twitter.

Techdirt 2022-04-18 Mike Masnick

Context & Ripple Effects

Musk had framed a possible Twitter purchase around public-interest value and opening the platform’s algorithm, before making the hostile bid covered here. The related coverage makes the dispute less about a generic ownership change than about who sets the platform’s speech and moderation rules.

Subsequent coverage challenged the consistency of Musk’s free-speech posture by pointing to his record of stifling criticism at Tesla and SpaceX and characterized the bid as a fight over control of a major public megaphone.

First-order effects

Twitter’s existing moderation practices become a central target of Musk’s proposed ownership change, placing the company’s governance choices under immediate public and political scrutiny.
Musk’s public rationale for the bid is tested against criticism that his approach discounts the accumulated operational experience behind platform moderation.

Second-order effects

Twitter’s users, critics, and employees face a more overt contest over whether platform rules should prioritize Musk’s stated conception of free speech or the established moderation framework.
The proposal to open-source Twitter’s algorithm broadens the debate from individual speech rules to the transparency of the systems that distribute speech.

Third-order effects

If ownership of major platforms increasingly becomes a vehicle for imposing a proprietor’s moderation philosophy, content governance shifts from an operational policy question toward a contest over control of public communications infrastructure.

The trend: The Twitter bid is one data point in the growing struggle over whether platform moderation should be governed by institutional rules or the speech philosophy of powerful owners.

Discussion

@chrisjbakke Chris Bakke on x
Elon Musk is in for a bad time. I'm not sure he's prepared to take on a couple PhDs, a few MBAs, and a Baroness who use Twitter once a year (to reset their passwords) and collectively own 77 shares of the company. https://twitter.com/...
@dswillner Dave Willner on x
In recent replies to @yishan and @mmasnick around content moderation there's a common (seemingly genuine) view is that moderation could be replaced by a mix of selectable feed algorithms, unfollowing, and blocking. This surprised me, because it's fairly obviously wrong. 1/6
@yishan @yishan on x
They would like you (the users) to stop squabbling over stupid shit and causing drama so that they can spend their time writing more features and not have to adjudicate your stupid little fights.
@yishan @yishan on x
I'm now going to reveal the institutional bias of every large social network (i.e. FB, Twitter, Reddit):
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
Twitter board member Jack Dorsey snipes at Twitter's board https://twitter.com/...
@pmarca Marc Andreessen on x
I recommend reading both @yishan 🧵 https://twitter.com/... and @paulg 🧵 https://twitter.com/... on Internet moderation and censorship. I agree with elements of both, but agree with @paulg more.
@seedsforbidden Forbidden Seeds on x
@KDbyProxy @HansMahncke You are confused. Zuckerberg actually literally spent money on direct election interference, whereas you are ASSUMING that Musk might do so in the future. One has happened, and the other is a paranoid fantasy also know as PROJECTION.
@emileifrem Emil Eifrem on x
It's always amazing to hear from an actual professional in a field that's hotly debated by the pundits. Then enters a former practitioner. The depth of their understanding, the nuances they take into consideration and the clarity of their thinking. A treat! https://twitter.com/..…
@pt @pt on x
Like, Elon is very hostile to how social networks are changing. He's so hostile he's trying to buy a social network so he can roll back these changes and make Twitter 2010 again. Is Elon a lefty? Don't think so.
@44 @44 on x
if there's one consistent pattern I've observed working at Twitter on and off for the last 10 years it is how misunderstood the very complicated dynamics of the product and technology are among the company's most vocal critics
@alecmuffett Alec Muffett on x
This is an epic, must-read thread, and in my opinion this is the biggest truth bomb in it: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@shoq @shoq on x
@mmasnick the speech and content moderation issues that most Twitter users lack the information or skills to think about clearly. But they should try. And his piece might help stimulate their try muscles. https://www.techdirt.com/...
@mark_dow @mark_dow on x
Listen more to the people who have hands on experience moderating content on major platforms and less to techno libertarians' self-serving fantasies. Anyone who's ever had a boss knows everything seems easier/simpler unless you're the one that has to roll up sleeves and do it htt…
@kfury @kfury on x
I'm not sure whether Paul is just assuming that the Left and Right participate in hate speech equally or if he knows they don't but ignores this because it hurts his argument. https://twitter.com/...
@vishwanathsarng @vishwanathsarng on x
“Selectable feed algorithms” are to internet platforms, what “changing the channel” is to TV. It relies on two extreme assumptions about user control - either that what you can't see can't hurt you or that people should see only what they choose to. https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
Listen to Dave. He knows what he's talking about and he knows more about this subject than you, me, or basically anyone else. https://twitter.com/...
@yishan @yishan on x
They kind of care about money, but mostly they wish you would shut up and be civil.
@kdbyproxy @kdbyproxy on x
@HansMahncke Elon Musk is putting up $43B to interfere in presidential elections. Mark Zuckerberg put up barely 1% of that to help save democracy. It is a testament to the insanity of our times that Elon is heralded as a hero while Zuckerberg is vilified. #EasyPeasy https://twitt…
@szhang_ds Sophie Zhang on x
Pretty good summation. Social media has changed our society irreversibly in unexpected ways. In charge are engineers, not sociologists, who want to write new features rather than reckoning with the social change they've unleashed. Integrity efforts were reactive stopgaps at best …
@yishan @yishan on x
Facebook's userbase has at various times been left-leaning, then right-leaning, then bifurcated. So has Reddit's. Twitter's also. The social platforms don't care.
@willpapper Will Papper on x
This proposed vampire attack on Twitter by @realGeorgeHotz is very clever: https://geohot.github.io/... It reminds me of a different attempted 2015 vampire attack via third-party clients. That one was prevented by Twitter capping users, but a browser extension is even harder to s…
@bill_gross Bill Gross on x
“Elon Musk Demonstrates How Little He Understands About Content Moderation..” Do you agree with this article: https://www.techdirt.com/...
@eaton @eaton on x
An interesting thread, because it's insightful about some things but curiously naive about others. He argues that both “left” and “right” are incorrectly convinced tech is institutionally biased against them, but the “real” truth he spells out... is fundamentally conservative. ht…
@yishan @yishan on x
Neither side is lying. Mostly, it's really because enforcement is hard, and there are LOTS of errors. There's a separate emerging problem (more FB than Twitter) where AI models make inhumane/dystopian judgments that can't be appealed, but that's a separate issue.
@ekp Ellen K. Pao on x
Can you imagine living in this world and being oblivious to what hate speech means? Much less participating in a dialogue on a worldwide stage about it? “Hate speech is not, as Chris Anderson bizarrely seems to believe, saying ‘I hate X.’” https://www.techdirt.com/... https://twi…
@waitbutwhy Tim Urban on x
In other words, maybe Elon is in for a world of pain should he become head of Twitter—but keep in mind that everyone assumed he was in for a world of pain, on a mission doomed to failure, when he founded SpaceX too. Because that's what had always happened in the past. https://twi…
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
Interesting since ⁦@egon_durban⁩ is on the Twitter board, so he voted for poison pill. But lots of investors wanting to join with ⁦@elonmusk⁩ from my quick checks & few want to take him on: Musk considers bringing in partners on Twitter bid https://nypost.com/...
@infrahumano Javier on x
Maybe true. But if so it is just because the way the right censors and bans dissent is much more culturally settled and real. It is unquestionable. Part of the power structure already. They don't need twitter for it. Twitter is a game. https://twitter.com/...
@bretweinstein Bret Weinstein on x
I oppose the hostile takeover that already happened at Twitter and support the attempt to liberate it. #FairPublicSquare https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
I really think ⁦@mmasnick⁩ always has a pretty decent take and it is really well done here though don't totally agree with all here: Elon Musk Demonstrates How Little He Understands About Content Moderation | Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com/...
@andrewbostom @andrewbostom on x
1/ @ElonMusk considers bringing in partners on Twitter bid to circumvent @twitter's “poison pill” strategy limiting Musk's share of stock to 15% https://nypost.com/...
@caugustelliott C. August Elliott on x
“[Speech] has always been moderated. Public-nuisance laws and noise ordinances have long placed restrictions on the time, place, and manner of expression... The public-square metaphor places unrealistic expectations on what social media is, or should be.” https://www.theatlantic.…
@asemota Osaretin Victor Asemota on x
So many people here are fighting for attention. Even Elon Musk. This article below nails it. Those who are not Elon Musk are less visible but more potent. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@alison_claire Alison Huffman on x
In case you thought the would-be-Twitter-King understands anything of which he speaks re: content moderation — he does not. I imagine most folks get that he's a know-nothing in this area, but this is a v solid breakdown of his ignorance nonetheless. https://www.techdirt.com/...
@mscott Mark Scott on x
With its “unfettered virality and velocity”, “Twitter's infrastructure has delivered a perpetually roiling crowd; to be on Twitter is to fight on Twitter, and often to fight about Twitter.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@om @om on x
Twitter is in middle of a tumultuous time as a company. It is in play, thanks to an offer Elon Musk. It is a company that has underperformed as a business. It has anemic new user growth. Is the Parag Agarwal, who replaced Jack Dorsey, the man for the job? https://om.co/... https:…
@davidsacks David Sacks on x
Most public company boards are a joke once the founder is gone. They have little-to-no ownership in the company. They are a club. https://twitter.com/...
@jkosseff Jeff Kosseff on x
This sort of reality-based nuance is perhaps a bit more useful than the million hot takes of the past week. https://twitter.com/...
@anildash @anildash on x
This is how they spin the argument. Whether they're lying to everyone or just themselves is not the most important part — the result is. https://twitter.com/...
@nateafischer Nate Fischer on x
Does the philosophy toward speech espoused in this thread meaningfully differ from that of the CCP? https://twitter.com/...
@mariosundar Mario Sundar on x
If you're negotiating with his nonsense, he's winning. His gambit ain't for Twitter. It's for your attention. And, you've lost already. Before you begin. https://twitter.com/...
@emptywheel @emptywheel on x
Masnick on Musk: “Dealing with human speech isn't about building a car, a robot, a tunnel, or a rocket ship. It's about dealing with human beings, human nature, and society.: https://www.techdirt.com/... This is very long (like I should talk) but really worth reading.
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
Good thread on someone's experiences with actual content moderation. (And, actually, our original title was closer to Techmeme's, but I thought it was too long and shortened it). https://twitter.com/...
@davidsacks David Sacks on x
New Twitter CEO Checklist - Open-source the algorithm - Eliminate all bots - Restore free speech - Implement Coinbase policy on workplace politics - Fire useless employees (50%?) - No more company-wide days of rest (take vacation if you're tired)
@brij Brij Singh on x
Good to see this post get due recognition. This (and research paper in the link) is a good start for anybody coming late to the content moderation party. For Elon Musk - this will amount to fixing road rage, something FSD can never solve. https://twitter.com/...
@techemails @techemails on x
Elon Musk on tweeting August 21, 2018 https://twitter.com/...
@jimvandehei Jim VandeHei on x
Elon Musk and other tech billionaires are pushing a parallel media ecosystem with unfettered speech, fewer rules, more voices and less power for traditional media. https://www.axios.com/...
@prairielaura Laura Lorson on x
this is excellent, and takes me back to my days as a teenager on The Well, as adults basically screamed at me to grow up and Think Bigger after I said “that's all well and good, but that is not how it will play out, try taking a sociology class sometime” https://www.techdirt.com/…
@ousfourita Wafa Ben-Hassine on x
Great article — though still all very much US focused. Musk's ignorance on these issues is magnified when you introduce the complexities that being a global platform brings / international human rights standards. https://twitter.com/...
@kudeki @kudeki on x
i too was v alarmed at how little elon knows about these topics, and that the TED interviewer was somehow so much worse??? hurt my brain to watch https://twitter.com/...
@gullikyro Padraig on x
This entire post is ridiculously on point. Anybody with actual real world hands on experience in the field will nod their head reading it. Also I shall once again repeat, political content is a minor part of content moderation, it's seriously not all about you libdestroyer428. ht…
@akurjata @akurjata on x
“what struck me about his views is how much they sound like what the techies who originally created social media said in the early days. And here's the important bit: all of them eventually learned that their simplistic belief in how things should work does not work in reality ” …
@bborrman Brandon on x
Must read for anyone interested in all this Twitter stuff. The collective exasperate scream of a thousand experts in one column. https://twitter.com/...
@katebevan Kate Bevan on x
This is a good piece. And RIP your mentions and inbox, Mike. https://twitter.com/...
@eddie1perez Edward Perez on x
“The ‘public platform’ is the internet. And trust is earned, but...being broadly inclusive & trustworthy also requires recognizing that bad actors need to be dealt with...This is what people have spent over a decade working on. And Musk acts like it's a brand new issue.” https://…
@verba_et_vertus Virginia Murr on x
Fantastic article. Worth the few minutes to read. “And Musk is basically saying 'I have a brilliant idea: let's go back to step 1 and pretend none of the things experts in this space have learned over the past decade actually happened.'” https://twitter.com/...
@marklittlenews Mark Little on x
“Knowing how much effort Twitter has actually put into understanding interventions and how to build a trustworthy platform, I fear that what Musk would do with it would be a massive step backwards and a general loss for the world.” https://www.techdirt.com/...
@eddie1perez Edward Perez on x
“Dealing with human speech isn't about building a car, a robot, a tunnel, or a rocket ship. It's about dealing with human beings, human nature, and society.” https://twitter.com/...
@ewankirk Ewan Kirk on x
Occasionally I find a fascinating article on Twitter in which I learn lots of new things. Ironically, today it was this 👇 Fabulous piece by @mmasnick https://www.techdirt.com/...
@mehdirhasan Mehdi Hasan on x
Elon Musk, the self-styled “free speech absolutist,” has fired employees for speaking out; tried to buy the silence of a teenager with a bot; and banned a blogger from owning a Tesla because of a critical *blogpost*. Receipts from me on @MaddowBlog: https://twitter.com/...
@rebeccaforwa @rebeccaforwa on x
Elon Musk has enough money to end homeless and hunger, but instead he wants to buy Twitter.
@tedcruz Ted Cruz on x
Orwell would be truly amazed at today's authoritarians. Free speech = “anything goes” To get “more democracy,” we need “MORE content moderation.” TRUST the overlords, the corporate media insists. Big Tech billionaires should decide what YOU get to say. What BS! https://twitter.co…
@tbskyen @tbskyen on x
This has such “I have realized the world needs a robust public transportation system, THEREFORE I AM BUILDING SINGLE FILE CAR TUBES UNDERGROUND” energy What a fucking idiot https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
Every once in a while I have semi-decent things to say. https://twitter.com/...
@kateconger Kate Conger on x
Everything came to a head yesterday, when Elon said he'd go straight to the end and buy Twitter outright. I think this story has everything: boardroom drama, Elon's vision, shareholder pushback, employee reactions https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@goldman Jason Goldman on x
Very smart reporting here to get this quote to underline exactly what is going on. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@samifathi_ Sami Fathi on x
“The board is also considering soliciting offers from other companies that may want to acquire Twitter, one of the people familiar with its plans said, another common move among takeover targets. It was not clear if Twitter had approached anyone yet.” Stay away, Zuck. https://twi…
@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
“.. appeared to be marshaling investors against Mr. Musk's plans, and signaled that he would have to spend billions more if he wanted to own the company.” (via ⁦@MikeIsaac⁩) $TWTR https://www.nytimes.com/...
@ngrossman81 Nicholas Grossman on x
Good @mmasnick piece in @techdirt on content moderation and free speech. Two of its best points -It's not that “just do free speech” or “follow 1A” hasn't been considered. It's been tried a lot and failed. -Twitter isn't the public square. The internet is. https://www.techdirt.co…
@dbfarber @dbfarber on x
“The simple fact is that dealing with human nature and human communication is much, much, much more complex than teaching a car how to drive by itself...There is no ‘congrats, we got there’ moment in content moderation.” https://www.techdirt.com/... @mmasnick
@sarthakgh @sarthakgh on x
“The simple fact is that dealing with human nature and human communication is much, much, much more complex than teaching a car how to drive by itself. And there is no perfect solution. There is no “congrats, we got there” moment in content moderation.” https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
I assume this post walking through all the things Elon Musk shows he does not understand about content moderation will be read calmly with the responses and my inbox will fill with thoughtful nuanced replies. https://www.techdirt.com/...
@arrington Michael Arrington on x
🤔 https://www.techdirt.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@repdarrellissa Rep. Darrell Issa on x
The panic coming from blue-check media after Elon Musk's offer to buy Twitter is the fear of losing the ability to censor conservatives online and silence free speech they don't like.
@susanlitv Susan Li on x
This is not a surprise folks! #silverlake was already floated as a potential partner when #ElonMusk unveiled his #Twittertakeover bid #Twitter $twtr https://nypost.com/...
@evacide Eva on x
There is no room to quote all of @mmasnick's take on Musk's understanding of content moderation, free speech, and the public square, so just read it yourself because his take is the right take: https://www.techdirt.com/...
@hansmahncke Hans Mahncke on x
Mark Zuckerberg put up $500 million to interfere in a presidential election. Elon Musk is putting up 100 times as much to save democracy. It is a testament to the insanity of our times that Zuckerberg is heralded as a hero while Elon is vilified.
@frankluntz Frank Luntz on x
“Twitter is not the town square, and it's a ridiculous analogy. The Internet itself is the town square. Twitter is just one private shop in that town square with its own rules.” https://www.techdirt.com/...
@karlbode Karl Bode on x
I'm not just saying this because he's my boss, but @mmasnick is really smart on content moderation issues, has really helped inform my thinking on the subject, and you should read this: https://www.techdirt.com/...
@kevinbankston Kevin Bankston on x
There are so many perfectly articulated and nuanced sentiments in @mmasnick's dissection of Elon Musk's simplistic perspective on content moderation that it's hard to pick one to highlight in this tweet. So just read the whole thing. https://t.co/jRu0iOLxTC
@jayrosen_nyu Jay Rosen on x
In this post about how little Musk understands, @mmasnick has to keep saying “as anyone who has lived through (or read up on) the history of content moderation knows...” https://www.techdirt.com/... On content moderation Musk is like a chess player still learning how the rook mov…
@yishan @yishan on x
[Thread] Ex-Reddit CEO warns Elon Musk that he doesn't understand current internet culture enough to handle the challenges of large social networks like Twitter
@rabble @rabble on x
[Thread] After Bill Gross' 2015 hostile takeover attempt, Twitter locked down the API and limited third-party clients to 100K users until Jack Dorsey's return
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
Interesting argument from @nbashaw: opening up the twitter algorithm & allowing different versions could be good business for Twitter. Would be a nice compromise position between the different ideological camps. Let camps have their own community norms https://every.to/... https:…
@jack @jack on x
@theAkshEffect ... yep
@carnage4life @carnage4life on x
A lot of “solutions” for the problems with social media don't actually solve the problems people care about the most. Putting the ranking algorithm for the Twitter timeline on GitHub or being able to choose your own algorithm doesn't address the issues people complain most about …
@nbashaw Nathan Baschez on x
@Twitter Opening up the algorithm to transparency and choice would be a Good Thing — increases usage — decreases assholery — rebuilds trust I wrote all about it how it could work and why to do it here: https://every.to/...
@ejang @ejang on x
Open platform co-op https://twitter.com/...
@theaksheffect @theaksheffect on x
@nbashaw @Twitter This is actually what @jack wanted to do and mentioned it multiple times while he was CEO
@hkanji @hkanji on x
“Commoditize your complement” https://every.to/... via @getmatterapp
@adhutchinson Andrew Hutchinson on x
An interesting look at the proposed open source algorithm approach for Twitter from @nbashaw - it eyed certainly be worth exploring if Twitter's entity classification, in particular, could be improved to make its algorithm more effective https://every.to/...
@nash076 @nash076 on x
This is how bids happen: rumor, leaks, but nobody is screaming from a hilltop with a trumpet up their ass. Unlike Elon. https://nypost.com/...
@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
“When Musk was pretending to take $TSLA private, he pretended that he was going to let all of Tesla's existing shareholders remain shareholders of the new ‘private’ Tesla. This is not a thing.. And now he's doing it again.. Sure buddy!” @matt_levine $TWTR https://www.bloomberg.co…
@maxkennerly Max Kennerly on x
The one consistent thing through Elon Musk's temper tantrum has been his total inability to grasp the basics of how social media works. It is, for example, 100% “legal” to use the reply function to spam everyone. Users get banned for it because of Twitter's Terms of Service. http…
@decryptmedia Decrypt on x
“It takes some pretty impressive mental gymnastics to associate any type of ‘freedom’ with the richest man in the world initiating a hostile takeover,” says @ummjackson, co-creator of Dogecoin. https://decrypt.co/... https://twitter.com/...

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