OP-ED -- Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover shows why Canada must regulate social media now

Twitter under Elon Musk’s concept of ‘free speech’ could become a haven for racists, white supremacists and hateful voices.

Fareed Khan  | Apr 30, 2022
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/khan-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-shows-why-canada-must-regulate-social-media-now
https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/khan-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-shows-why-canada-must-regulate-social-media-now
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/khan-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-shows-why-canada-must-regulate-social-media-now
https://canadanewsmedia.ca/khan-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-shows-why-canada-must-regulate-social-media-now-ottawa-citizen/

News that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has concluded a deal to buy social media giant Twitter and take it private has started a public debate about what the company’s platform will be like under his concept of unfettered “free speech“ and what it means for broader society, where social media plays an integral role in shaping opinions.

Voices from racialized communities, anti-racism activists and the political left are saying that restrictions must be maintained on those voices that use the platform to propagate hate, xenophobia and disinformation.  Many on the political right, free-speech extremists and far-right voices are rejoicing at the prospect that Twitter under Musk’s ownership will become a space for unrestricted speech, where anything one can say is acceptable.

Anti-racism activists are disturbed at the thought of Musk being in complete control of one of the world’s most powerful social media megaphones.  The fear is that Musk’s philosophy of free speech absolutism will give racists, white supremacists and agents of hate a free hand on Twitter to say what they want without consequence.  This poses a danger to social stability and order, and is a nightmare in the making for racialized communities, which already face a constant barrage of racist hate on social media.

In light of this development, as well as revelations by a whistleblower last fall that Facebook allows hate and racism to be propagated on its platforms, Canada and western democracies need to move quickly to put in place laws to regulate social media companies.

The world witnessed the power of Twitter to incite a mob on Jan. 6, 2021 when thousands of followers of then-U.S. president Donald Trump, enraged by his Tweets containing unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, attacked the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.  That happened under restrictions put in place by the current leadership of Twitter.  One can only imagine what might happen with the platform operating under Musk’s concept of free speech.  If racists and white supremacists can say what they want without fear of sanction by the social media giant, then the type of violence that Trump incited could become a more frequent occurrence.

Musk has often criticized Twitter for its content restrictions and moderation rules.  On March 26, he posted, “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy.”

This is a ludicrous assertion.  There is no town square in the world where an individual can speak to millions of people, dozens of times a day, every day of the year and have them act immediately on what is said.  To say that someone on Twitter with a following in the millions, sending their followers several messages an hour, is equivalent to someone speaking to a crowd in a town square which might number in the thousands on an occasional basis, is a fallacy pushed by Musk in pursuit of his own agenda.

Even at the best of times, Twitter has never been a place for rational or nuanced speech.  It can only get worse operating under an absolutist free speech philosophy. Musk himself has used the platform to frequently slime his critics or anyone he dislikes.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became one of his targets when Musk posted a Twitter meme comparing the prime minister to Hitler during the height of the trucker convoy occupation of Ottawa.  If this is what he considers acceptable free speech, then the world had better be prepared for a toxic onslaught of hate, racism, xenophobia, misogyny and unfounded conspiracy theories once Musk is running the show at Twitter.

Musk uses his social media megaphone to verbally bludgeon those who criticize him or challenge his ambitions.  Why should anyone trust someone with such a mercurial personality to responsibly manage a company which has the power to influence the opinions of tens of millions around the world, and sow social disorder?

The Canadian government and those of other democracies need to stop delaying and move forward on regulating Twitter and other social media companies.  Failure to do so will fuel those voices promoting ugly, hateful and abhorrent ideologies, who could incite violence and discord under the pretext of free speech.  While freedom of speech is integral to democratic societies, unfettered free speech on social media does more harm than good, which is why it must be regulated.

Fareed Khan is the founder of Canadians United Against Hate.

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