On Monday, Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter was made official and since then he’s been tweeting which has gathered much discussion.
Musk has now clarified his stance on free speech since then in a new tweet, claiming that he is against any kind of censorship that goes far beyond the law.
The SpaceX owner said in his view free speech simply means that which matches the law.
According to him, “The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all. By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.
If people want less free speech, they will ask the government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people,” he wrote on his Twitter feed.
Read Also: How NDLEA Writes APC, Demands Drug Test for Tinubu, Osinbajo, other Aspirants
However, experts have noted that ‘free speech’ and ‘censorship’ rules are different in each country.
In the United States, the first amendment protects freedom of speech and the press. In Nigeria and Africa continent, the Constitution ensures freedom of speech and expression the first amendment ensures reasonable restrictions on the same.
Sticking to the fact that Twitter is a global service, it would most likely have to follow the idea of free speech as deemed fit by each country’s laws. If otherwise, there might be restrictions of usage thereby dropping the numbers of users globally.
By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law.
I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.
If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.
Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022
