On the 25th of April 2022, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and currently the richest man in the world, offered to take over the social media company. He offered to pay forty-four billion dollars to take Twitter private. In a statement, he expressed his desire for the social media platform to adhere closely to the principles of freedom of speech; he referred to this as ‘the bedrock of a functioning democracy’.
Worried Policymakers around the World
Bill Gates wasn’t pleased with this takedown;he believes Elon Musk could potentially do more harm than good. The co-founder of Microsoft raised concerns about Musk’s unclear intentions behind seeking ownership of the social media company and promoting free speech. He went as far as stating that there would be a mass spread of misinformation on Twitter if Elon Musk went on to pursue his idea of free speech.
Gates Suggestion to Musk
Bill Gates specifically questioned Elon Musk regarding the measures he would take to prevent the spread of misinformation regarding the novel coronavirus and vaccines while advocating ‘free speech’. The misinformation around vaccines is plentiful and has spread like wildfire on social media during the outbreak of the coronavirus and its various variants.
During the initial phase of the pandemic, some people accused Bill Gates of implanting 5G chips into the human body when injecting the vaccine to track their location. He believes that social media platforms have a role to play when communicating information; they must guarantee that the truth gets shared effectively. Any misinformation surrounding a key tool, such as the vaccine that can potentially save lives, could be dangerous.
What’s Happening Today?
As of now, Musk is seen suggesting various methods to improve Twitter that goes beyond free speech. For example, he recently suggested charging businesses a small fee for using the platform. On the other hand, Bill Gates has announced that he plans to set up a dedicated social media unit to propagate accurate information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
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