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The Australian government has issued a legal warning to Twitter over a surge in hate speech reports since billionaire Elon Musk bought the platform, threatening six-figure daily fines if Twitter does not provide information about what it is “doing to address the issue.” hate online”.
key facts
Australia’s electronic security commissioner said in a Press release It has received more complaints about Twitter than any other social network in the past year, rising after Musk, who brought back some 62,000 banned or suspended users, bought the platform and took over as chief executive last October.
The department said the spike in hate speech came as Musk cut Twitter’s staff by about 80%, removing members of his trusted and security teams.
If Twitter does not respond to the notice within 28 days, eSafety said it could face a maximum daily financial penalty of around A$700,000, or US$475,685, as long as the breach continues.
Forbes reached out to Twitter for comment.
crucial appointment
“Twitter seems to have dropped the ball when addressing hate. A third of all online hate complaints reported to us are now happening on Twitter. We are also mindful of reports that the reinstatement of some of these previously banned accounts has emboldened extreme polarizers, outrage and hate peddlers, including neo-Nazis both in Australia and abroad,” said the security commissioner. electronics, Julie Inman Grant, in the statement.
key background
Since Musk bought Twitter at a $44 billion valuation in October, he has made free speech one of his guiding principles, previously saying that upholding “free speech is paramount.” But researchers have found that Musk’s fixation on free speech has led to a measurable rise in hate speech. Within 12 hours of Musk’s purchase of Twitter, the use of the N-word increase almost 500%, according to the Brookings Institute. The same study found that in the week after that, tweets with “Jew” increased fivefold. The increases also did not disappear soon after ownership: A study from the University of Southern California published in April found that since Musk took over, hateful users had become more hateful and overall hate on the site increased. Ad revenue took a big hit after the Musk acquisition. CNN reported that in January, more than half of Twitter’s top advertisers stopped spending on the platform, partly due to reduced content moderation staff and a series of controversial policies.
Tangent
This is not the first online hate tip Australia has sent to Twitter. In February, the department asked Twitter, TikTok, Google YouTube, Twitch, and Discord what steps they were taking to address “child sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual extortion, and the promotion of harmful content” by the platforms’ algorithms. In this statement, the department said it has received responses to that notice and is “currently evaluating the responses” before releasing any information.
Other reading
eSafety demands answers from Twitter on how it is tackling hate online (Electronic Security Department)
Twitter could face fines in Australia for hate speech (Axios)
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