Toni Dimaano Tech 11.24.2022 23:Nov PM EST

Elon Musk Runs Twitter Poll To Decide On Reinstating Banned Accounts

Twitter chief Elon Musk asks users on the platform whether "general amnesty" should be extended to suspended accounts beginning next week.

After unbanning former president Donald Trump's account, the CEO has decided that he is unsuspending controversial Twitter users from the platform.

Musk Floated The Idea Of Mass Unsuspending Banned Users

According to Business Insider, as of writing, the billionaire's public survey garnered 1.8 million votes, wherein 71.9% of users voted in favor of the idea, while 28.1% disagreed.

It can be remembered that the unsuspension of Trump's account came around after Musk also polled the public, and got more than 15 million responses where 51.8% voted to reinstate Trump.

The Verge writes that the return of these banned accounts reverses the years of content moderation work that Twitter employees put on the social network.

Additionally, it trashes the CEO's promise of creating a diverse council that will help him make and oversee serious platform moderation decisions.

However, Musk backed away from the idea later on, claiming that groups of political and social activists agreed to try to kill Twitter by depriving the site of ad revenue.

The mass return of accounts from Twitter jail may severe the years of keeping users safe from accounts related to abuse, harassment, and misinformation.

Moreover, it leaves users susceptible to bots and inauthentic accounts that have been filling the social media platform, which was Musk's main reason for buying Twitter.

While it is not clear which accounts the billionaire wants back on the platform, Twitter's chief expressed a bare minimum standard for keeping accounts banned.

According to The Verge, Musk said that accounts that have broken the law and participated in egregious spam will not be granted "amnesty" on his websites.

Nonetheless, the CEO's idea of letting some of the most toxic people back on the platform will likely result in widespread and unintended consequences to users he promised safety to.

Business Insider reports that it was only last month that Musk told users that there would not be major content decisions made or returning accounts.

The Mass Unsuspension Returns These Controversial Accounts

Just a few days ago, the Twitter owner unbanned one of the most prominent figures with one of the biggest accounts on the platform, ex-president Trump.

This move by the CEO alarmed users and critics, but Musk did not stop there and still went on unbanning a few more accounts.

Twitter also saw the return of The Babylon Bee, which is a conservative satire humor site that has been temporarily banned before for purposefully misgendering US Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine.

Canadian personality Jordan Peterson who hosts a right-wing media outlet called Daily Wire, is also back on Twitter after getting banned for misgendering Elliot Page.

Influencer Andrew Tate, who was sent to Twitter jail in the past for victim-blaming those pushing forward the #MeToo movement, was also reinstated on the platform over the weekend.

According to Mashable, there is a noticeable trend on which accounts Musk has opted to unban, as it seems like most of the personalities returning on Twitter are right-wing supporters.