Elon Musk Backs Free Speech But New Transparency Report Shows Skyrocketing Account Bans On X

When Elon Musk first revealed his intention to purchase, one of the key factors was to promote freedom of speech, a cause very close to him.

In fact, Musk described himself as a “free speech absolute”.

After months of lawsuits, online potshots, dragged-out drama and rebellious behavior, Musk acquired the social media giant for $44 billion in 2022.

Soon after, the tech mogul began cleaning house by laying off staff and management, from engineers to top executives.

Musk even rebranded the platform, changing its name from Twitter to X.

In his commitment to make the platform a safe haven for free speech, Musk even reversed the controversial permanent ban of former President Donald Trump.

However, X’s latest transparency report finds that the platform has seen a surge in the number of accounts suspended and posts removed.

So, what does the company’s latest transparency report reveal about its rule enforcement? Let’s explore!

What Did The X Transparency Report Reveal?

Before Elon Musk acquired Twitter, the company’s last transparency report came in 2021.
Through those reports, it was found that Twitter suspended around 873,000 accounts in the last half of 2019, with the number growing to 1.3 million in the latter half of 2021.
Three years later, the platform’s next transparency report was released on September 25, 2024.
As per the report, the first half of 2024 witnessed a whopping 5.3 million accounts suspended (5,296,870 is the official number).
That’s over four times what Twitter did in its last half before being taken over by Musk.
Moreover, the total number of posts removed or labeled was reported at over 10 million (10,675,980).
However, in front of the overall posts violation rate (0.0123%), that seems like a small number. Yet, it’s significantly higher than what Twitter did in its pre-Musk era.
The platform also saw 224 million (224,129,805) user reports, the highest coming for Abuse & Harassment at over 81 million reports and making up 36.47% of the total reports.
This was followed by Hateful Conduct (over 66 million accounting for 29.85%) and Violent Content (over 40 million accounting for 17.85%).
The others included Child Safety, Hateful Conduct, Illegal or Regulated Goods and Services, Misleading & Deceptive Identities, Non-Consensual Nudity, Private Content, Suicide & Self Harm and Violent & Hateful Entities, all with percentages in single digits.
As for account suspensions and posts removed or labeled, the top of the table included Child Safety (2,781,634 and 14,571) and Abuse & Harassment (1,102,778 and 2,648,475).
As per the company, a large part of the recent suspensions pertained to child safety, abuse or harassment and misleading identities, all making valid bans.
However, X did not respond to questions regarding the surge in numbers.

TechDogs-"A Screenshot Showing The Total Number Of User Reports As Per The Transparency Report"

TechDogs-"A Screenshot Showing The Total Number Of Account Suspensions And Posts Removed Or Labeled As Per The Transparency Report"

Source

While Musk brought back numerous controversial accounts, his platform did suspend the student who operated an account that tracked Elon Musk’s private jet flights.
Recently, the platform also suspended journalist Ken Klippenstein's account for publishing a 271-page dossier on JD Vance, Trump's running mate in the 2024 election.
Furthermore, even links to the dossier have been blocked by X.
It’s no secret that Musk is a supporter of Trump and is rumored to be in contention for a cabinet position if Trump wins.
An X spokesperson said the move was made because the dossier contained Vance’s home address and part of his Social Security number.
On the other hand, Musk has been at odds with the government and supreme court of Brazil as he refused to censor particular accounts in the country, fighting tooth and nail and even roping in his satellite constellation internet company, Starlink.
The move saw the platform being banned in the country, fines imposed, assets frozen and even Starlink faced its consequences.
However, ultimately the “free speech absolutist” backed down, paid the fine and complied with orders to curb the spread of misinformation in the country.

Which platform do you prefer, X or Twitter? Do you think X’s post and account suspensions are justified?

Let us know in the comments below!

First published on Fri, Sep 27, 2024

Enjoyed what you read? Great news – there’s a lot more to explore!

Dive into our content repository of the latest tech news, a diverse range of articles spanning introductory guides, product reviews, trends and more, along with engaging interviews, up-to-date AI blogs and hilarious tech memes!

Also explore our collection of branded insights via informative white papers, enlightening case studies, in-depth reports, educational videos and exciting events and webinars from leading global brands.

Head to the TechDogs homepage to Know Your World of technology today!

Disclaimer - Reference to any specific product, software or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by TechDogs nor should any data or content published be relied upon. The views expressed by TechDogs' members and guests are their own and their appearance on our site does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by TechDogs' Authors are those of the Authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of TechDogs or any of its officials. All information / content found on TechDogs' site may not necessarily be reviewed by individuals with the expertise to validate its completeness, accuracy and reliability.

Tags:

Blogging PlatformsCommunity PlatformsSocial Media X Twitter Elon Musk Transparency Report Free Speech Block Suspended Brazil Supreme Court Starlink SpaceX

Join The Discussion

Social Media

Elon Musk Backs Free Speech But New Transparency Report Shows Skyrocketing Account Bans On X

What Did The X Transparency Report Reveal?

Join Our Newsletter