Will Elon Musk’s Twitter continue to moderate content in India?

From the $44 billion Twitter buyout, massive trolling and memes to critical remarks from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is the man of the moment. Netizens across the world, especially the 300+ million users on Twitter, are still in awe by Musk's move and are speculating whether the sale of the world's most influential social media platform to the world’s wealthiest man is good news for them.

The megadeal has come at a time when Twitter faces massive criticism in India and abroad over its extensive “content moderation” amid intensifying debates over free speech and the spread of fake news.

Several Twitter users in India have accused the platform of toeing the government line and banning critics but sparing certain hate mongers. Earlier, several known faces like former US President Donald Trump and Indian actor Kangana Ranaut were even removed from the microblogging site for allegedly spreading disinformation.

The twist in the story is that Musk describes himself as a ‘free speech absolutist’ and has often said that he wants to reform Twitter, its harsh policy in particular.

Hours before the deal was announced, he tweeted, "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means." He's also floated ideas about turning the company's headquarters into a homeless shelter, removing ads for paid users and adding to the platform's authentication checks.

It is still unclear how Twitter will be run under the leadership of Musk. This question has bothered many including the top politicians and state heads across the world as the platform has been their medium to popularize their work, connect with people directly and set the narrative.

Media and advertising sector across the globe was abuzz with speculations soon after the news of the buyout made headlines. Experts who have closely followed the Twitter journey in India are keeping a close tab on the fresh development. 

KS Chakravarthy - Vice President, Creative Services - Zenoti, who is fondly called Chax, opines, “I personally believe Musk has not really thought through the implications of zero censorship. On the other hand, he is trying to get a license for Starlink for India - and that very clearly is going to come with conditions, as it well should. Bottom line - if he actually succeeds in getting absolute control, he may find life isn't as easy as he imagines, especially  when you have to deal with big spending brands on the one hand, and governments on the other.”

“The lifeblood of any social vehicle is the users. Freedom to post kiddie porn? Or racist venom? Or communal hate rants? I think not,” explains Chax.

Agreeing with Chax, Ahmed Afatb Naqvi, Group CEO and co-founder of Gozoop, hopes that under Musk better sense prevails and Twitter — in quest for free speech is not reduced to a platform of negativity and hate.

Naqvi says, “Elon Musk has been vocal about his intentions of making Twitter a platform for free speech with minimal interventions and policing of content. However, complete elimination of content moderation may not be ideal for any social platform for one too many reasons, and I don't see Twitter India being an exception in this situation.”

Government watch likely to continue

The governments across the world are going hard on tech companies and seek more transparency from them, says Rahul Vengalil, Managing Partner of Isobar, a dentsu group company.

Vengalil explains, “We have seen this even in the US. The Indian government has been quite vary of social media platforms.  We have seen them swing into action in a case like Farmers’ protest playbook which originated on Twitter. Moreover, the new IT law on data hosting has also given might to the government to arm twist if needed.”

There would be a constant watch from the Government on what is being discussed and in case it is leading to unrest domestically or impacting India's image globally, there would be guardrails that would be put in place, Vengalil asserts.

Troll and Bot-free Twitter?

Ramesh Narayan, Veteran adman and Director Strategy, Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), disagrees and states that the anonymity that Twitter provides is harmful. “While Twitter and other social media platforms have provided a voice for every citizen of India, in an increasingly hyper sensitive atmosphere they could also create flashpoints of social stress as we have often seen in the past. While a robust monitoring system based on the laws of the land is a must, and could take care of most issues, personally I feel the anonymity that Twitter provides is more harmful than helpful.

“Elon Musk is a techie par excellence. He will work to prevent the platform from being hijacked by bots and the like. Apart from that it is a thin line he has to walk between free speech and manipulative messaging,” Narayan adds.

Talking about Musk's free speech push for Twitter, Rohan Mehta, CEO Kinnect, said, “I feel this currently is debatable. With Elon Musk's 'free speech' push for Twitter, it looks like the platform's policies will undergo significant changes. For Twitter, India is one of the leading growth markets with more than 20 million users and, as a platform, has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire globe. While I see the need for content moderation in India, 'free speech' will bring leniency. Musk's advocacy of an "uncontrolled" internet may have to face specific challenges when it comes to our country and its norms.