Washington: Amid concerns over future of Twitter, conservatives have been celebrating over the “new era of free speech”.
According to The New York Times, several members of the far right started testing the limits of a less regulated platform, tweeting criticism of the transgender community, doubting the effectiveness of masks, or claiming that the 2020 election results were fraudulent — topics that had been moderated by labeling or removing the false information or suspending accounts that spread it.
On Monday, Twitter had agreed to a 44 billion dollar (£34.5bn) takeover offer from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
According to CNN, under the terms of the deal, shareholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter stock they own, matching Musk’s original offer and marking a 38 per cent premium over the stock price the day before Musk revealed his stake in the company.
Following the Twitter-Musk deal, John Rich, a member of the country music duo Big and Rich, said in a tweet that received more than 50,000 likes: “Millions of Americans have been choking back their thoughts and opinions on this platform for YEARS out of fear of being suspended/canceled. I have a feeling the dam is about to break.”
Meanwhile, Michael Knowles, a conservative podcaster, has once again repeated the the false claim that “the 2020 presidential election was obviously rigged,” receiving more than 70,000 likes.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia known for supporting conspiracy theories, has urged reactivation of banned accounts of people such as former President Donald J. Trump, the conspiracist podcaster Alex Jones and even her own personal account, The NYT reported.
