(NEW YORK)—PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel has made the following comment today in response to the announcement that Elon Musk has completed a $44 billion deal to take over Twitter:
“All eyes are on Elon Musk to see whether he goes through with pledges to dismantle content guardrails and call open season for disinformation, harassment and vitriol on Twitter, or is serious about trying to nurture a platform where actual civic discourse can flourish. I’ll be watching for early signs of whether he comes in thinking he has all the answers, or is instead ready to listen and learn the intricacies of a platform used worldwide with sometimes life or death consequences. With the midterm election two weeks out, a pivotal indicator will be whether purveyors of disinformation are given free rein to mislead people over Twitter about when, where and how to vote.”