Second coming of once-banned conspiracy theorists after Twitter amnesty

A conspiracy theorist urging Americans to burn voting machines, an anti-Muslim activist posting a photo with a gun, a retired general who called for a coup—Elon Musk’s Twitter has reinstated thousands of once-banned accounts.

Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist who completed his $44 billion buyout of the influential platform in October, has further stoked alarm by restoring what one expert estimates are over 27,000 accounts once suspended for fuelling falsehoods, harassment and violence.

“Restoring these accounts will make the platform a magnet for actors who want to spread misinformation,” Jonathan Nagler, co-director of the New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, told AFP.

“And there will likely be less moderation of hate speech, making the platform less hospitable to many users.”

Those reinstated include far-right activists, anti-Muslim extremists as well as others peddling election conspiracies and COVID-19 misinformation, according to an analysis by the non-profit Media Matters of dozens of restored accounts with millions of combined followers.