JD Journal: Congress Demands Action from Elon Musk as Hate Speech Soars on Twitter Under His Leadership
This article features Government Accountability Project whistleblower client, Steve Herman, and was originally published here.
Two US Representatives, Adam Schiff and Mark Takano of California, have called on Twitter CEO Elon Musk to address the growing issue of hate speech on social media since he purchased it in October 2022. Schiff and Takano had originally called on Musk to investigate the increase in hate speech on the platform in December, where they reported a 61.3% increase in anti-Semitic speech. Since Musk’s purchase, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has reported that anti-Semitic speech on Twitter has increased by 106%, and anti-LGBTQ+ speech has increased by 119%.
The representatives stressed the power that one tweet containing hate speech can have on Twitter and its negative impact on marginalized communities. According to their letter, ten accounts promoting hate speech have garnered 2.5 million impressions since December. Despite Musk’s public condemnation of hate speech, Schiff and Takano argue that Twitter has not taken adequate measures to decrease it and have requested that Musk outline his plan to mitigate hate speech on the platform.
One concern raised by the Representatives is that Musk has drastically reduced Twitter’s staff, including those whose roles contributed to the reduction of hate speech. Therefore, they have asked Musk to...
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