On the 30th of November 2022, Elon Musk announced that the misunderstanding between Apple and Twitter had been resolved. Apple wouldn’t be banning Twitter.
Thanks @tim_cook for taking me around Apple’s beautiful HQ pic.twitter.com/xjo4g306gR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 30, 2022
On Monday, the 28th of November, the CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk, called out Apple for their intentions to bam Twitter from their app store without providing adequate information as to why. And this led to an uproar.
Some speculations believe that the new moderation policies on Twitter following its purchase by Elon Musk run contrary to that of Apple. Others believe it has to do with the fact that Elon Musk wasn’t prepared to hand over 30% of Twitter’s revenue to Apple.
Apple didn’t outrightly announce intentions to ban Twitter, but reinstating multiple accounts that were previously banned for violating guidelines, made it seem obvious. Added to that, they also joined plenty of other companies to withdraw paying advertisements on the platform.
The misunderstanding has been straightened out. According to Elon, Twitter had no intention of removing the application. Thus, a head-on collision that could have resulted in the creation of “Elon Musk Mobile” has been averted. This was wrapped up with a tour of Apple’s HQ and a video of an artificial pond.
There was no mention of Apple’s advertising or if it would get back to advertising on the platform. Yet, in a blog post, Twitter aimed to address the issue of moderation and free speech on its platform.
Knowing that Twitter is used globally and is responsible for protecting its users’ freedom of speech. Stating that brand safety is as important as user safety. So they have decided to experiment with other forms of moderation that wouldn’t infringe on any rights or endanger anybody.
They called it the “freedom of speech but not freedom of reach”. This means anybody can post stuff on the platform, but they would not broadcast such questionable content to the public. They are aiming to limit the spread, not ban it.
It went further to say that abusive or hateful behavior would not be condoned. the Trust & Safety team continues their diligent work into automatic detection, which would play a major role in ensuring safe usage.
There will always be bad players in every project, but they remain committed to providing a safe, inclusive space with continued transparency as Twitter transitions from what it is now to what they want it to be. Which is the Town Square of the internet.
