Elon Musk has announced that he is considering reinstating right-wing commentator Alex Jones’s account on X and plans to hold a poll on the matter.
Musk, who views X as a global town square, believes permanent bans should be rare, and any false statements made by Jones could be corrected by @CommunityNotes.
Will consider. In general, since this platform aspires to be the global town square, permanent bans should be extremely rare.
Also, if he does say something false on this platform, then @CommunityNotes will correct him, whereas that would not be the case elsewhere.
Let’s hold…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2023
Responding to a suggestion to bring Jones back, Musk expressed openness and proposed a poll to gauge user sentiment.
Alex Jones was permanently banned from X in 2018 for violating Twitter’s “abusive behavior” policy. The incident involved Jones insulting a CNN reporter outside a congressional hearing, captured on Periscope, a now-discontinued live-streaming service on Twitter.
Since acquiring X in 2022, Musk has reinstated several previously banned accounts, emphasizing his commitment to fostering free speech on the platform, even at the expense of advertiser pressure for censorship.
The announcement comes ahead of an exclusive interview with Jones on Tucker Carlson’s show on X, scheduled for Thursday.
Musk’s approach to free speech on X has been a focal point since his acquisition, and the potential return of Jones could stir controversy, with some anticipating a significant reaction, referring to it as the “ultimate liberal meltdown.” Musk’s decision to involve users in a poll aligns with his approach to democratizing content moderation on the platform.
