Musk says he's granting 'amnesty' to suspended Twitter accounts
SAN FRANCISCO -
New Twitter owner Elon Musk said Thursday that he is granting "amnesty" for suspended accounts, which online safety experts predict will spur a rise in harassment, hate speech and misinformation.
The billionaire's announcement came after he asked in a poll posted to his timeline to vote on reinstatements for accounts that have not "broken the law or engaged in egregious spam." The yes vote was 72%.
"The people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei," Musk tweeted using a Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people, the voice of God."
Musk used the same Latin phrase after posting a similar poll last last weekend before reinstating the account of former U.S. president Donald Trump, which Twitter had banned for encouraging the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Trump has said he won't return to Twitter but has not deleted his account.
Such online polls are anything but scientific and can easily be influenced by bots.
In the month since Musk took over Twitter, groups that monitor the platform for racist, antisemitic and other toxic speech say it's been on the rise on the world's de facto public square. That has included a surge in racist abuse of World Cup soccer players that Twitter is allegedly failing to act on.
The uptick in harmful content is in large part due to the disorder following Musk's decision to lay off half the company's 7,500-person workforce, fire top executives, and then institute a series of ultimatums that prompted hundreds more to quit. Also let go were an untold number of contractors responsible for content moderation. Among those resigning over a lack of faith in Musk's willingness to keep Twitter from devolving into a chaos of uncontrolled speech were Twitter's head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth.
Major advertisers have also abandoned the platform.
On Oct. 28, the day after he took control, Musk tweeted that no suspended accounts would be reinstated until Twitter formed a "content moderation council" with diverse viewpoints that would consider the cases.
On Tuesday, he said he was reneging on that promise because he'd agreed to at the insistence of "a large coalition of political-social activists groups" who later "broke the deal" by urging that advertisers at least temporarily stop giving Twitter their business.
A day earlier, Twitter reinstated the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which was banned in January for violating the platform's COVID misinformation policies.
Musk, meanwhile, has been getting increasingly chummy on Twitter with right-wing figures. Before this month's U.S. midterm elections he urged "independent-minded" people to vote Republican.
A report from the European Union published Thursday said Twitter took longer to review hateful content and removed less of it this year compared with 2021. The report was based on data collected over the spring -- before Musk acquired Twitter -- as part of an annual evaluation of online platforms' compliance with the bloc's code of conduct on disinformation. It found that Twitter assessed just over half of the notifications it received about illegal hate speech within 24 hours, down from 82% in 2021.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows 'flat' pricing 'wherever possible'
Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat 'wherever possible.'
Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote community of Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
opinion
opinion | Don Martin: Trudeau meets the moment – and ducks for cover
Based on Justin Trudeau's first-day fail in the House of Commons, 'meeting the moment' is destined to become the most laughable slogan since the elder Pierre Trudeau’s disastrous campaign rallying cry in 1972, which insisted 'the land is strong' just as the economy tanked.
Canada Post honours Chloe Cooley with stamp in time for Black History Month
A young Black woman who resisted her own enslavement in Queenston, Upper Canada, in the late 18th century is being honoured by Canada Post.
Canadian economy grew slightly in November, expected to slow further
The Canadian economy grew by 0.1 per cent in November as higher interest rates began to slow spending toward the end of the year.
Pakistan blames 'security lapse' for mosque blast; 100 dead
A suicide bombing that struck inside a mosque at a police and government compound in northwest Pakistan reflects 'security lapses,' current and former officials said as the death toll from the devastating blast climbed to 100 on Tuesday.
'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75
Cindy Williams, who was among the most recognizable stars in America in the 1970s and 80s for her role as Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the beloved sitcom 'Laverne & Shirley,' has died, her family said Monday.
Federal agency targeting illegal wildlife trade through financial intelligence
Canada's financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket.
Russian business offers cash bounties to destroy Western tanks in Ukraine
A Russian company said it will offer five million roubles (US$72,000) in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture western-made tanks in Ukraine, after the Kremlin vowed Russian forces would wipe out any Western tanks shipped to Ukraine.
Canada
-
Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows 'flat' pricing 'wherever possible'
Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat 'wherever possible.'
-
Are you a Ukrainian who recently moved to Canada? We want to hear from you
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.
-
Federal agency targeting illegal wildlife trade through financial intelligence
Canada's financial intelligence agency is stepping up the fight against the illicit wildlife trade by taking aim at the criminals who reap big profits from the global racket.
-
911 issues fixed in the Maritimes following Tuesday morning outage
911 emergency calling in all three Maritime provinces has been fixed following service issues Tuesday morning.
-
Canada Post honours Chloe Cooley with stamp in time for Black History Month
A young Black woman who resisted her own enslavement in Queenston, Upper Canada, in the late 18th century is being honoured by Canada Post.
-
Quebec RCMP say they rescued man trying to cross U.S. border on foot through woods
Quebec RCMP say they rescued a man over the weekend who became lost in the woods in heavy snow while trying to cross the border into the United States.
World
-
After tank pledges, Ukraine seeks Western fighter jets
Ukraine is pushing its Western allies to provide it with fighter jets, a week after winning pledges of sophisticated modern tanks to help it beat back Russia's invasion force after almost a year of fighting.
-
Pakistan blames 'security lapse' for mosque blast; 100 dead
A suicide bombing that struck inside a mosque at a police and government compound in northwest Pakistan reflects 'security lapses,' current and former officials said as the death toll from the devastating blast climbed to 100 on Tuesday.
-
Australian police ask court to ban protest at Cardinal Pell's funeral
Australian police plan to ask a judge to ban gay rights protesters from demonstrating outside the funeral of Cardinal George Pell in Sydney on Thursday due to public safety concerns. Pell, who was once considered the third-highest-ranking cleric in the Vatican and spent more than a year in prison before his child abuse convictions were squashed in 2020, died in Rome this month at age 81.
-
China scoffs at new Czech president's phone call with Taiwan
China on Tuesday accused Czech President-elect Petr Pavel of challenging its hard line on national sovereignty by affirming ties with self-ruled Taiwan in a phone with the island's leader. The call on Monday represents a symbolic breach of China's attempts to cut off the already highly restricted foreign relations of the self-governing democracy, which Beijing claims as its own territory with no right to independent diplomatic recognition.
-
Police: 10 wounded in drive-by shooting in central Florida
Ten people were injured during a drive-by shooting in a central Florida neighborhood, police said.
-
7th Memphis officer disciplined, EMTs fired in Nichols death
Two more Memphis police officers have been disciplined and three emergency responders fired in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols, officials said Monday, widening the circle of punishment for the shocking display of police brutality after video showed many more people failed to help him beyond the five officers accused of beating him to death.
Politics
-
Hybrid Parliament should be here to stay, say MPs in new report
The hybrid sitting structure and electronic voting system should become permanent features of the House of Commons, according to a new report from MPs on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee.
-
Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
-
No security threat from RCMP's dealings with China-linked firm, minister tells MPs
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says there is no reason to believe Canada's national security was under threat at any time due to the RCMP's dealings with an Ontario company that has links to China.
Health
-
Time is of the essence to bring in and enforce new long-term care standards: authors
Proposed new standards for long-term care issued by a panel of experts at the Health Standards Organization on Tuesday say residents should get at least four hours of direct care a day and workers must be paid more.
-
Tightness in back and joints? Here are some mobility stretches
Personal fitness instructor Andrea Tam says, as people age they experience tight joints and muscles, but performing mobility exercises for 10 minutes each day can help increase flexibility and prevent injury.
-
WHO declares COVID-19 global emergency isn't over. What happens next?
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency it declared three years ago, even though the pandemic has reached what the international body calls an 'inflection point.'
Sci-Tech
-
China's Baidu to launch ChatGPT-style bot in March: source
Chinese internet search major Baidu Inc is planning to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
-
TikTok CEO to testify before U.S. Congress over security concerns
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew will appear before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee in March, as lawmakers scrutinize the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
-
YouTube star MrBeast helps 1,000 blind people see again by sponsoring cataract surgeries
YouTube superstar MrBeast is making the world clearer -- for at least 1,000 people. The content creator's latest stunt is paying for cataract removal for 1,000 people who were blind or near-blind but could not afford the surgery.
Entertainment
-
Deadline nears for Alec Baldwin in deadly movie set shooting
Prosecutors planned to file felony charges of involuntary manslaughter Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of a Western movie in 2021.
-
Why everyone's debating Riseborough's best actress Oscar nod
Nothing -- not Tom Cruise's snub nor Austin Butler's lingering Elvis Presley inflections -- has caused quite as much a stir around this year's Oscars as the best-actress nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough.
-
Canadian musicians take spotlight as nominees for the Juno Awards to be announced
Canadian music fans will soon find out if their favourite artists will be competing at this year's Juno Awards.
Business
-
Canadian economy grew slightly in November, expected to slow further
The Canadian economy grew by 0.1 per cent in November as higher interest rates began to slow spending toward the end of the year.
-
Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows 'flat' pricing 'wherever possible'
Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat 'wherever possible.'
-
Europe scrapes out economic growth by dodging gas disaster
Europe's economy scraped out meager gains at the end of last year as galloping inflation fed by high energy prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine deterred people from spending in shops and restaurants.
Lifestyle
-
Tightness in back and joints? Here are some mobility stretches
Personal fitness instructor Andrea Tam says, as people age they experience tight joints and muscles, but performing mobility exercises for 10 minutes each day can help increase flexibility and prevent injury.
-
Marie Kondo is focusing on what's important--and that means letting the tidying slide
Queen of clean Marie Kondo admits that tidying up is no longer top of her to-do list. Posting on her website shortly after the birth of her third child in 2021, the Japanese organization expert reflected on motherhood, saying she had 'eased up on herself' when it comes to tidying.
-
Mindbender roller coaster closed after 37 years at West Edmonton Mall
The Mindbender roller coaster at Galaxyland has been shut down, West Edmonton Mall announced on Monday. The redevelopment of the area is already underway, and the roller coaster is being decommissioned and removed.
Sports
-
Apology issued after Chelsea player Mudryk's N-word video
An apology has been issued on behalf of Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudryk after he appeared to use the N-word in a video posted on social media.
-
Gymnastics Canada CEO faces questions from MPs on handling of two disgraced coaches
Gymnastics Canada chief executive officer Ian Moss was on the hot seat at the status of women hearings on safety of women in sport on Monday. Moss was repeatedly questioned by MPs about Gymnastics Canada's handling of coaches Ian Bard and Scott McFarlane amid accusations he knew of complaints from athletes.
-
'Just incredible': Winnipegger and former teammate remembers Bobby Hull
Without Bobby Hull, the Winnipeg Jets wouldn’t be in the NHL right now. That’s how one of his former teammates feels about the late Jets forward.
Autos
-
Tesla gets Justice Department subpoena for self-driving cars
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla Inc. related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
-
Will Europe's ban on Russian diesel hike global fuel prices?
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
-
Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Canada not affected by U.S. theft issue, automakers say
Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold in Canada do not have the same anti-theft issue as those in the United States because of Canadian regulations, the automakers say.
