Where does free speech end and abuse begin? Musk to discuss future of Twitter in UK Parliament

LONDON (CU)_ Last week, the board of directors of Twitter Inc. accepted a $54.20 per share proposal made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to take over the social media platform. The decision has paved the way for the business magnate to embrace his vision for freedom of speech and expression.

Musk, who agreed to take Twitter private in a $44 billion deal, says he intends to rid Twitter of scams and bots and make the platform’s software available for public review. He is often outspoken about promoting free speech on Twitter, being critical of the company for engaging in censorship saying such measures shouldn’t go “beyond the law.”

Now the British lawmakers want to know how the billionaire entrepreneur intends to fulfil the legal obligation to crack down on so-called online harms and therefore, a parliamentary committee has invited him to give evidence on the matter in the UK Parliament. Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) Committee’s chair Julian Knight has written to Musk inviting him to “discuss the future of Twitter” with British lawmakers.

In the letter, dated 29 April, the Conservative MP told the SpaceX CEO the parliamentary committee is interested in the proposals made by him for Twitter. He noted that Musk’s intention to verify all users of the platform “echoes” the committee’s calls on the government to “restore the UK public’s trust in digital platforms”.

In a separate statement, Knight said his committee is interested in learning about how the South African-born American entrepreneur will “balance his clear commitment to free speech with new obligations to protect Twitter’s users from online harms”. “Appearing before the committee will give Mr. Musk an ideal opportunity to set out his proposals for Twitter in more depth and we would look forward to welcoming him,” he said.