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Dozens of advocates are launching a new block-focused campaign on Friday Tesla $ 44 billion purchase by CEO Elon Musk twitterWarns that if he is allowed to take control, he will reduce important safeguards on the platform.
The Stop the Deal campaign, which is shared exclusively with CNBC, includes plans to urge government agencies to review acquisitions, convince Tesla shareholders to take action against it, and ask advertisers to withdraw spending from the platform. It has been.
It highlights the concerns shared by many progressives about how the acquisition of Mask and plans for a more open platform enable more rampant hatred and harassment on the platform.
Participating nonprofits include Accountable Tech, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD, and MediaJustice.
The mask is already Reportedly faced regulatory scrutiny For the deal he recently said, “on hold, “He wants more information about the number of fake accounts on the platform. Twitter executives reportedly told employees it’s not.. Since the deal and its tweet, Twitter’s share price has fallen in a sharp drop, and some analysts speculate that he may be looking for a better price.
The group behind the StoptheDeal campaign warns them Website The Musk “strengthens protection for basic content moderation, providing megaphones to white supremacist, hatred, disinformation, and harassing militants, further jeopardizing communities left behind by society. I will expose you to. ” The campaign site predicts that Musk will “revive a public figure’s Twitter account that was banned for inciting violence and spreading dangerous disinformation.”
Former President Donald Trump’s name isn’t mentioned, but it could apply to him because he was shut down from the platform following a riot at the US Capitol on January 6.
Musk states that the motivation for buying Twitter is based on his love for the service and his belief that it should serve as a more open forum for various ideas.I have a mask Concept He admits that he still has to comply with international law, but a platform with few rules about what the speech is and what is not allowed. He also said that permanent bans, such as those currently active against Trump, should be generally disliked because of temporary bans.
However, the organizers of Stop the Deal say that less moderation of content does not necessarily mean that speech is free, and that it increases harassment of the left-behind community.
“The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk will not lead to increased” freedom of speech “on the platform,” Moveon executive director Lana Eputing said in a statement. “It will lead to more extreme voices that simply abuse the platform to stir up hatred, violence and harassment. Social media platforms, which are nothing more than toxic ruins of information, are harmful to our society and our politics. is.”
“As the threat of online violence is becoming more and more offline, the platform is finally to create a safer space online for all people, especially black and brown women and LGBTQ + people. We are listening to our demand for accountability, “said Bridget Todd, Communications Director at UltraViolet. He said in a statement.
The organizers of Stop the Deal urged users to tweet dissent to Mask, Twitter advertisers, and Tesla shareholders.
In the area of legislation, the group says the government can take some action to block transactions.One option is for the Securities and Exchange Commission to ban Musk from serving as a director or officer of a public company, citing his actions in other actions. Did not properly disclose initial investment in Twitter..
The coalition also states that if the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States determines that foreign investment in the United States threatens national security, the terms of the agreement can be adjusted.They have a deal Partially funded By Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and Sovereign Wealth Fund of Qatar.
The group also said that if the Federal Trade Commission decides to ease competition, it may file a proceeding to block the transaction.But that route can be complicated by a relatively small slice of the social media market compared to peers like Meta. Facebook..
Twitter declined to comment.
