Platform claims that allowing political advertisements, beginning in the US, is “building on our commitment to free expression”.
Prior to the billionaire’s acquisition of the now-named X platform, Elon Musk lifted a ban on political advertisements at the microblogging site Twitter in an effort to combat misinformation.
Less than a week after former president Donald Trump made a post at X for the first time since January 2021, potentially misleading political messages were once again welcomed there.
Trump announced his return to a platform that served as his favorite bullhorn during his time as president by posting his police mugshot following his arrest in Georgia.
It was his first post since several days after the insurrection at the US Capitol that saw an enraged mob of his supporters attempt to block Joe Biden’s certification as president.
The then-Twitter permanently suspended Trump after the January 6 riots, ruling he had violated the platform’s policy on glorifying violence as he pressed his claims that the election was stolen from him.
Musk, who acquired the platform last year, reinstated the former president in November 2022, but Trump opted to use his own platform, Truth Social, which has a much smaller user base, to connect with his supporters.
In a blog post published on Tuesday, X claimed that allowing political advertisements, beginning in the US, was “building on our commitment to free expression.”
The blog argued that X policies forbid the promotion of false or deceptive information, including false claims meant to undermine confidence in an election.
“Election interference” was the caption on a recent mug shot that Trump posted to his social media account.
A judge on Monday set March 4, 2024, for Trump’s election subversion conspiracy trial — placing one of the biggest criminal cases in American history at the height of the next White House race.
X said it is expanding its safety and elections teams to focus on combating manipulation of the platform and will provide an online centre where political ads can be reviewed.
After purchasing Twitter, Musk cut staff, raising questions about Twitter’s capacity to reliably operate and moderate content.
According to X, it is updating its Civic Integrity Policy to address content that aims to intimidate or mislead voters while adhering to Musk’s belief that everyone has the right to their own opinions.
The platform stated in the blog post that “X shouldn’t judge the veracity of disputed information.”
“Instead, in keeping with our commitment to defending freedom of expression, we should enable our users to express their opinions and engage in open discussion during elections.”
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
