Elon Musk Teases Pathway for Banned Users to Rejoin Twitter

Twitter is working fast to create a new process that’ll let banned users return to the platform, according to Elon Musk. 

On Tuesday night, Musk tweeted(Opens in a new window): “Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks.”

Tweet(Opens in a new window)

Musk didn’t say much else about his approach to unbanning suspended users. But last week, he said Twitter is setting up a “content moderation council” featuring diverse viewpoints that’ll help him decide which users can return and how. “No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes,” he added. 

The big question is who will sit on the council. In a Tuesday tweet(Opens in a new window), Musk said the upcoming committee will “include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence.”

In addition, Musk said he’s talked(Opens in a new window) with leaders at groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center “about how Twitter will continue to combat hate and harassment and enforce its election integrity policies.”

So far, Musk has said at least one controversial figure—former President Donald Trump—will be able to return to Twitter after the company permanently suspended his account for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. But it remains unclear if he’ll allow banned white supremacists and conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones to return.  

Last week Musk mentioned in a tweet(Opens in a new window): “Anyone suspended for minor and dubious reasons will be freed from Twitter jail,” after the daughter of Canadian author Jordan Peterson asked whether Twitter would remove the suspension on his account. Back in June, Twitter suspended Peterson’s account for a tweet that deadnamed(Opens in a new window) transgender actor Elliot Page. 

According(Opens in a new window) to Bloomberg, Musk has asked that Twitter review its hateful conduct policy concerning punishments for misgendering and deadnaming transgender users, although it’s unclear what changes he intends on making.