Elon Musk Responds to Public Opinion: Alex Jones' X Account to be Restored
Elon Musk plans to reinstate the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, despite previous bans due to rule violations Musk's decision marks a notable change in direction, sparking discussions around freedom of speech and online platform governance
Elon Musk announced that he would reinstate the account of right-wing extremist Alex Jones on X, formerly known as Twitter, overturning a 2018 decision by the company's previous management to remove the infamous conspiracy theorist for repeatedly violating rules against harassment and hate speech.
Musk conducted an informal poll on his account, asking users of the platform whether Jones should be reinstated. The poll closed on Saturday evening with nearly 2 million respondents, of which approximately 70% voted "yes."
Early Sunday morning, Musk replied to the poll saying, "The people have spoken and so it shall be."
Jones account was still listed as suspended as of early Sunday morning.
Billionaire Musk, who has also promoted conspiracy theories and amplified extremist voices, has made a move that is expected to further negatively impact X. As companies distance themselves from the troubled platform, hate speech and conspiracy theories have increased in the wake of Musk's decisions. In recent weeks, numerous major advertisers have left the platform due to concerns about brand safety and hate speech, triggered by Musk's endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory in November. Musk apologized for his post days later, but the advertiser boycott has persisted, prompting Musk to express that it could eventually lead to the downfall of the company.
Musk admitted on Saturday that bringing back Jones would "negatively affect X financially," but he argued that "principles are more important than money." Musk has tried to present himself as a supporter of free speech, even though he has taken steps to limit the speech of critics.
Last year, Musk stated that he would not reverse the ban on Jones due to his false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. However, in recent days, there has been mounting pressure on Musk from Jones' right-wing supporters, following an interview with Tucker Carlson, another far-right figure who was let go by Fox News earlier this year, demanding that Jones' account be reinstated.
The right-wing campaign appeared to have influenced Musk, who stated his disagreement with Jones' comments on the Sandy Hook shooting but questioned, "Do we support freedom of speech as a platform, or do we not?" in a post on X Saturday.
Jones is recognized as a major spreader of disinformation and misinformation globally. He has a well-documented record of promoting false and hateful conspiracy theories on a range of topics.
Jones infamously claimed that the Sandy Hook massacre, which tragically took the lives of 20 children and six adults, was fabricated. As a result of his false statements about the shooting, courts have mandated that Jones pay over $1 billion in damages to the families of the Sandy Hook victims. His falsehoods caused immense anguish to the grieving parents and led to a wave of real-world harassment directed at them.
Reactivating Jones' account aligns with the pattern of decisions made by Musk since he acquired the social media company for $44 billion last year. Musk has also reinstated the account of Donald Trump and allowed the return of extremists and racists who had been banned prior to his takeover of the platform.
Jones original Twitter ban
Jones and other accounts associated with his website, Infowars, were permanently banned from Twitter in 2018 due to abusive behavior. This action followed similar bans imposed by YouTube, Apple, and Facebook.
Twitter's decision to permanently ban Jones came the day after he aggressively accosted CNN reporter Oliver Darcy on Capitol Hill and streamed the encounter on the platform. Darcy had become a top target for Jones, who was aggressively reporting on his lies and hateful behavior. This raised questions about why Jones had been allowed to remain on major social media platforms despite repeatedly breaking their rules about hate and harassment.
During the 2018 incident on Capitol Hill, Jones relentlessly berated Darcy for over ten minutes, labeling the Middle Eastern CNN reporter as anti-American, dehumanizing him, and comparing him to vermin. Earlier that day, Jones also went on a tirade against Sen. Marco Rubio in the hallway.
In a series of tweets from Twitter's safety team at the time, the platform announced, "Today, we permanently suspended @realalexjones and @infowars from Twitter and Periscope. We took this action based on new reports of Tweets and videos posted yesterday that violate our abusive behavior policy, in addition to the accounts' previous violations."
A month after banning Jones and the main Infowars account, Twitter banned more than a dozen additional accounts affiliated with the website.
Musks flip-flop
In November, Musk announced that he would not be reinstating Jones' account, despite reinstating other controversial figures. The billionaire justified his decision by referencing Bible verses and his personal experience of losing his first child to sudden infant death syndrome.
"I held my firstborn as he passed away. I felt his last heartbeat," Musk shared on Twitter. "I have no sympathy for anyone who exploits the deaths of children for personal gain, politics, or fame."
Some users expressed frustration when Musk decided not to restore Jones' account. Musk responded with "Too bad" on the platform, but it seems that he has now changed his stance on engaging with radical voices. However, even some of Musk's biggest supporters were not happy with the decision to reinstate Jones.
Jason Calacanis, an investor and supporter of Musk, who was once a top contender for the position of X's CEO, expressed his support for freedom of speech while condemning Alex Jones for causing real harm by mocking the parents of murdered children. This led to Jones' conspiracy-theory-loving audience harassing the grieving parents in the real world. The story has been updated to include more information.
