Elon Musk has made a surprising move by restoring the banned account of Alex Jones, a controversial conspiracy theorist. This decision comes after a poll conducted on the social media platform, previously known as Twitter, showed that the majority of respondents were in favor of reinstating Jones.
For advertisers on the platform, this development raises new concerns about their ads potentially appearing alongside hate speech. It also sets a precedent for other divisive public figures who have been banned to potentially regain their accounts.
Musk took to Twitter to conduct the poll on Saturday, asking users whether Jones should be allowed back on the platform. The results showed that 70% of respondents were in favor of reinstatement. Following the poll, Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be.”
Just hours after Musk’s announcement, Jones’ posts became visible again, and he retweeted a post about his video game. Jones and his Infowars show were permanently banned from the platform in 2018 due to abusive behavior.
Musk, who describes himself as a free speech absolutist, claims that his decision is about protecting individuals’ rights to express their opinions. When a user argued that permanent bans contradict free speech principles, Musk responded, “I find it hard to disagree with this point.”
In addition to restoring Jones’ account, Musk suggested that X’s crowd-sourced fact-checking service, Community Notes, will swiftly address any posts by Jones that require correction.
This reversal of stance from Musk is notable, as he had previously stated that he would not allow Jones back on the platform. Last year, Musk referred to the tragedy of his own child’s death and tweeted, “I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics, or fame.”
Jones is notorious for repeatedly claiming on his show that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six educators, never took place. He alleges that the incident was staged in order to advocate for stricter gun control laws.
Relatives of the Sandy Hook victims filed lawsuits against Jones in Connecticut and Texas, ultimately winning judgments totaling nearly $1.5 billion. In October, a judge ruled that Jones could not use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying over $1.1 billion of this debt.
The Aftermath of Jones’ Trials and Musk’s Actions
Relatives of the school shooting victims who testified at the trials regarding the actions of conspiracy theorist, Jones, have faced harassment and threats from his followers. These believers not only sent threats but also confronted the grieving families in person, accusing them of being “crisis actors” and claiming that their children never existed.
In response to the judgments against him, Jones is appealing, arguing that he did not receive fair trials and that his speech should be protected under the First Amendment.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has witnessed a wave of major brands, such as Disney and IBM, withdrawing their advertising from X. This occurred after a report released by the liberal advocacy group Media Matters, which claimed that ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and posts promoting white nationalism.
Aside from this controversy, Musk himself faced criticism when he endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory in response to a post on X. Following the backlash, he issued an apology and made efforts to reconcile by visiting Israel. During his visit, he toured a kibbutz that had been attacked by Hamas militants and engaged in discussions with top Israeli leaders.
Despite the setbacks, Musk has been vocal about his stance on advertisers engaging in “blackmail.” In fact, he expressed his discontent and urged them not to advertise during an on-stage interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit.
Since purchasing Twitter last year, Musk has implemented an amnesty policy for suspended accounts. As a result, he has reinstated former President Donald Trump, rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) after two antisemitic post-related suspensions last year, and far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was removed from the platform due to her COVID-19 misinformation policies violation.
It is worth noting that Trump now has his own social media site called Truth Social, and since being allowed back on X, he has only tweeted once.
