Controversy Surrounds Elon Musk's Decision to Reinstate Alex Jones' Account on X

Elon Musk's decision to reinstate the X accounts of Alex Jones and Infowars has resulted in the platform actively promoting Jones and his controversial views. On Monday, posts from Jones' account appeared in the "For You" feed of users who do not follow him, and his account was recommended in some users' "Who to Follow" list. Additionally, his name was featured in X's top trending topics section, giving him a significant platform to spread his deceptive and dangerous ideas.

On Sunday, Musk boosted Jones' newly restored profile, which had 1.6 million followers as of Monday, by participating in a live streamed interview on X. The interview also featured Andrew Tate, who faces human trafficking and rape charges but denies them, far-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, "proud Islamophobe" Laura Loomer, and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk's promotion of Jones is the latest instance of the social media platform, previously known as Twitter, and its billionaire owner increasingly elevating fringe, extreme, and potentially harmful viewpoints. Since Musk took over the platform last year, he has also reinstated the accounts of other controversial figures, including prominent election deniers, and far-right and neo-Nazi figures.

Elon Musk, left, and Alex Jones.

Reuters

The people have spoken: Elon Musk restores the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after poll

Jones is most widely recognized for spreading misinformation and false conspiracy theories about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 20 children and six adults tragically lost their lives nearly 11 years ago. Due to his continuous dissemination of false claims about the Sandy Hook tragedy, victims' families reported being threatened and harassed by individuals who followed Jones. In a defamation case brought against him, a jury ruled last year that Jones should pay nearly $1 billion in damages to the families of the victims.

During a widely listened to Sunday conversation, Elon Musk allowed Jones to make false statements about his harassment of the families of Sandy Hook victims, with Jones falsely asserting that he was merely asking questions about the Sandy Hook massacre. The conversation also promoted conspiracy theories on various topics, including climate change, "globalists," and government censorship.

The Jones and Infowars accounts will be subjected to X's policies, and the platform will not run ads on them, as stated in a message from X to its advertising customers. However, since Musk's acquisition of the company over a year ago, X has been inconsistent in enforcing its own rules. The Anti-Defamation League and other online watchdog groups reported a surge in hate speech on X following Musk's takeover. X's policies prohibit hateful conduct, such as direct attacks on others based on various factors such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. (Musk and X have denied claims of increased hate speech on the platform and Musk even threatened to sue the ADL for defamation, although he later retracted the threat.)

Jones, who was banned from the platform in 2018 for repeatedly violating its policies on abusive behavior, is not only known for spreading false claims about Sandy Hook. He also encouraged people to attend the January 6, 2021 rally in Washington D.C. that led to the attack on the US Capitol, and helped bring Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes to prominence. Rhodes was later sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in connection with the riot. On January 6, Jones led a march down Pennsylvania Avenue and up the steps of the Capitol. Although Jones has not been charged with any crimes related to the attack, several "Infowarriors," including staff members and apparent fans of the site, were among those charged.

Jones' return comes as X was already experiencing an exodus of advertisers due to concerns about brand safety and hate speech, prompted by Musk himself endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory in November. Musk apologized days later for the post amid a storm of backlash, but he has also promoted the dangerous 2016 "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory and told brands who have left the platform to "go f**k yourself" in an interview last month.

After acquiring Twitter last fall and initially refusing to restore Jones' account due to false claims about Sandy Hook, Musk seems to have changed his stance after a right-wing pressure campaign. He posted a poll to his followers, with 70% voting to restore Jones' account before doing so. In a livestream interview on Sunday, Musk allowed Jones to lie about his harassment of Sandy Hook victims.

On Sunday, lawyer Chris Mattei, representing the Sandy Hook families, accused Jones of being a con artist who preys on the innocent. Mattei claimed that Jones manipulates his audience by instilling fear and then exploiting them for financial gain, causing suffering for everyone except Jones himself. The statement ended with a thank you to Elon.