Social media experts were already alarmed about Elon Musk buying Twitter. Then, in his first weekend at the helm, he amplified a conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi.
False claims, lies and conspiracy theories spread regularly on Twitter. But this week, Elon Musk — the company's new CEO and owner — was among the users sharing dubious assertions about the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was attacked in the couple's San Francisco home on Friday morning.
Musk ultimately deleted the tweet, but experts who study social media misinformation and manipulation who spoke with The Examiner were alarmed about what the deleted tweet portends for the platform under his direction. 'Free speech' and false informationAs part of his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, Musk has previously pledged to loosen the platform's content moderation under the guise of promoting"free speech."
DePape, Pelosi's alleged attacker, told police in an interview published in a federal affidavit on Monday that he used a hammer to break into a back door of the Pelosis' home, and that he planned to break"her kneecaps" unless she told the"truth." Others, including D'Souza and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, falsely claimed that DePape was Pelosi's friend, after an excerpt of the 911 dispatch shared on Twitter said Pelosi called DePape"a friend." The San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in court documents that DePape identified himself as "a friend of theirs" to the dispatcher.
Musk borrowed $13 billion from banks to buy Twitter, and the company now owes $1 billion in annual debt and interest payments.
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