*Civil rights leaders met with Elon Musk to express concerns about the hate speech popping up on the social media platform following his takeover of the app.
According to LA Focus News, representatives from the NAACP, Color of Change, and the Anti-Defamation League were among the social justice advocates who spoke with Musk directly last week.
“The NAACP met with Elon Musk to express our grave concerns with the dangerous, life-threatening hate and conspiracies that have proliferated on Twitter under his watch,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said.
“According to a report, hate speech increased by approximately 500% in the first 12 hours following his acquisition. Now let that sink in,” Johnson continued. “Nazi memes, racial slurs, and extreme far-right propaganda do not belong in the “town square” of any democracy or online platform. Taking the necessary actions is not rocket science, but failing to do so will put human lives at risk and further unravel our democracy,” he said.
READ MORE: Trump Says Twitter’s in ‘Sane Hands’ Now That Elon Musk is in Charge – No Longer ‘Run by Lunatics’
“In the immediacy, it is critical that Twitter’s existing election integrity policies remain in effect until at the very least after the midterm elections have been certified. Any content (or account) promoting election denial and other harmful lies about election results cannot be allowed to exist on his platform,” Johnson continued.
“As long as hate, misinformation, and disinformation spread across Twitter, the bird cannot be free,” he added, referring to Musk’s “The Bird is Freed” post following his acquisition of Twitter.
Musk reportedly told civil rights leaders that he will not allow former users who were banned by the platform to return to the site “for at least a few more weeks” — and this apparently includes former President Trump.
“Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on [the] platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks,” Musk tweeted about the meeting.
Musk also plans to create a council that will include a civil rights community to monitor hate speech.
Meanwhile, Musk is catching heat for imposing an $8 fee on users with the blue verification badge. Twitter users with a blue checkmark in their profile signify that the account is legit, “authentic” and active.
“If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron,” author Stephen King tweeted. Musk replied, “We need to pay the bills somehow!”
In related news, Toni Braxton and Shonda Rhimes are among the growing list of celebrities who are leaving Twitter following Musk’s takeover.
“Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye,” Rhimes reportedly posted.
“I’m shocked and appalled at some of the “free speech” I’ve seen on this platform since its acquisition,” said Braxton. “Hate speech under the veil of “free speech” is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.”
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