Media Matters urges Apple and Google to shut down Twitter if it becomes a site of ‘hate and lies’

One of Twitter’s most influential left-wing organizations has urged major Twitter advertisers, such as Apple and Google, to get rid of the app if Twitter’s new owner lets it become a “free for all hate, ‘extremism and misinformation’.

Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, said in a statement Monday that Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, “will destroy a whole range of very basic protections against harassment, abuse and misinformation that Twitter spent years setting it up.” in practice. »

Mr Carusone claimed that Twitter being under new ownership “effectively opened the floodgates to hate and lies and used Twitter’s position as a market leader to pressure other social media companies to retreat”.

The head of the progressive media watchdog said that under Mr Musk’s Twitter ownership, former President Donald Trump’s account will likely be restored “along with a host of other accounts that abuse, harassment, and repeated violations of Twitter’s rules.” ”

However, Mr. Trump announced Monday afternoon that he has no plans to return to Twitter and will instead become active on TRUTH Social, the social media platform he founded and launched in March as an alternative to Twitter.

The Media Matters chairman also suggested that Google, Apple and other tech giants remove the Twitter app in the same way they cut Talk, an alternative social media platform that supporters of Ms. Trump fled as Facebook and Twitter increasingly cracked down on posts that were cited as “misinformation.”

“But all hope is not lost. The responsibility now lies with Twitter’s major advertisers, who must make it clear that if Twitter becomes a free-for-all from hate, extremism and misinformation, they will walk away. “, did he declare.

“It is also essential that Google and Apple hold Twitter to the same standards they have applied to other apps like Talk – reiterating that Twitter will not be given special treatment and that a violation of their terms of service will result in the removal of the platform from app stores,” Mr. Carusone said.

Parler became one of the fastest growing apps in the US after launching in 2020 and marketed itself as a free speech platform. In January 2021, Apple ranked Talk as the number one free app for its iPhones, but 24 hours after it was ousted from Apple, it was on life support.

The app’s rejection came three days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters rioted outside and across the building.

After Apple and Google took down the app, claiming it failed to moderate its users’ posts enough, Amazon followed suit and removed the company from its hosting service, causing the company to be taken down. Talk line.

The site returned a month later after finding servers to host the site.

Twitter on Monday accepted Mr Musk’s offer to acquire the social media company for an estimated $44 billion, in a deal that would cede Twitter to the world’s richest man who has called for fewer restrictions on digital speech.

“Free speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital public square where issues vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement.

He added, “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating spambots, and authenticating all humans.”

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