Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover: what will change, is free speech at risk and should you delete the app?

theguardian.com:

Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover of Twitter and his promises to revamp the social media platform have reignited debate about whether it’s time to leave the website permanently. But is that too hasty? How do you leave? And where would you go?

It seems every few months there’s a wave of people announcing they are quitting Twitter. Some do it permanently, while others make the big announcement only to return weeks or months later.

The latest push has come in response to Musk’s purchase of the platform, with some concerned it will allow misinformation, disinformation, abuse and hate speech to flourish on the website more than it already does. Musk has suggested he is a “free speech absolutist”.

There has been speculation over who and what will be allowed back on Twitter, including whether former US president Donald Trump will return to the platform, although he has already hosed down that talk.

Australian lobby group Digital Rights Watch has expressed concern that while Musk claims the takeover is about free speech, it’s actually about power.

“While free speech is important, you have to account for asymmetries of power and other barriers that stop people from speaking freely,” chair Lizzie O’Shea said.

“Musk’s style of free speech absolutism will tilt the scales in favour of the rich and powerful who can silence or bully critics. What Musk really seems to want is freedom from accountability.

“Musk’s proposed approach to content moderation will likely make Twitter a less safe place for many people to speak freely while allowing powerful disinformation and propaganda campaigns to spread unchecked.”

Electronic Frontiers Foundation said any move away from allowing anonymous accounts on the platform would have the effect of reducing free